


Soul Phase

by Alycoris



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Character Study, Friendship, Game Spoilers, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, No Romance, Suspense, Teamwork, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 07:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5154803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alycoris/pseuds/Alycoris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Soul's color mattered-- the culmination of your Soul's DETERMINATION results in a "magic" of sorts. One spurred by self-belief. A "magic" that affects the world around you. Where Monsters were made of magic and freely could control it, only a select amount of humans could wield magic. Others, at best... are influential.</p><p>To be red, you could go anywhere you pleased, uninhibited. If light blue magic reflected patience, blue for integrity... Complexity, however, isn't so easily color coded, is it?</p><p>---</p><p>EDIT: Original name was "The Color of a Soul". I thought this was a better name, and have changed it accordingly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. That's New.

Humans.

The only thing Sans knew of them were from books, and as far as things stood, humans rarely ever fell into the underground. Over the course of 1000-something years, only… six had come.

Six humans. And now, only the seventh was left.

Humans were durable creatures. Far more than monsters, whose bodies were comprised primarily of magic. As Sans trod through the snow, he thought of how strange their physiology must be, if they were beings made of 70% water. The same stuff as snow. The same as rain.

Their physicality persisted after death, as opposed to how monsters souls dissipated and their bodies crumbled to dust shortly after perishing. Ironically, it was that same physiology that caused humans to have much shorter lifespans by comparison to monsters—with the exception of Boss Monsters, that is. They only aged after having a child, but… With the death of the Crown Prince, the results spoke for themselves.

The heartbroken queen disappeared. Asgore, who remained, was long-lived. After all, from what Sans pieced together, the guy was the one who declared the legendary war to start with. He was the one who personally trained Undyne when she was a child.

And even now, he was still alive.

Alive, and waiting for the last human soul so the barrier could be destroyed.

So hope could be restored.

So monsters could have a future.

If only things were so simple.

After all… “DETERMINATION” was always a key factor within this equation. It was an innate ability that humans possessed. And Sans wondered—if all humans possessed the same strain of determination, how was it that the Surface above continues to exist? It would be easy to assume timelines would jump left and right, or suddenly stop if all humans could abuse the power of DETERMINATION. Perhaps, the phenomena of SAVES—the phenomena of the “RESET” were only viable when a human fell into the underground.

In a world filled with DETERMINATION, perhaps it was unviable that every living human on the planet could willingly bend the world to their will. No, perhaps… when living with such a quality is status quo, the only possibility of it being capable of tampering with the fate of the world and temporality of everything was when a human is placed into certain… conditions.

Sans reasoned, that falling into the Underground and wanting to go home to the surface would be enough of a reason for even human child to gain that ability.

The ability to SAVE.

But was that all DETERMINATION did?

Regardless, it was a troublesome thing.

He felt it was pointless to go over these notes of his, in that regard. Or to even debate about it. Why bother? Knowing that at any given moment, his entire train off thought could be unraveled and he would back in a place before then. He’d just come to the realization over, again, and again, and again.

He slumped over at his sentry station.

Papyrus would get mad at him, but he could deal with his brother’s prattle.

He’d lost count of how many times he’d mused or debated about this. Ultimately, timelines blended together to the point it was difficult to differentiate some more than others.

Sometimes, the Seventh died on the way to Asgore’s castle. In a single timeline, he remembered the unshakable feeling of being forcibly rewinded back to the corridor where he Judged that abomination for its sins. Over, and over.

In a certain iteration, he remembered his brother going on a date with the Seventh Human.

Frisk, if he remembered right.

… Yeah, Frisk. At this point, no matter how many times he willed himself to forget, the name remained in mind, burned into his memory the same way his eye burned blue. His own “determination” was nowhere on par compared to that of a human, but it was enough. It was just enough to give him a certain awareness. Awareness of all the promises, deaths, and heartbreak he had to live through, and knowing that no one would ever believe him if he so much as tried to convince them. He’d tried.

He lived with it, but man, did it make life unbearable.

For example, as he heard the door to the ruins open, his head shot up lazily as he looked towards its direction. That was his cue.

Like always.

Sans took a shortcut.

He sauntered from behind. He deliberately stepped over a branch, and took slight sadistic pleasure from watching Frisk get startled. But then he stopped.

He hadn’t seen _you_ before.

 

* * *

 

As you and Frisk came to the gate Papyrus built, you knocked against the bars, and stuck your hand out tentatively as if awaiting a trap. Frisk simply watched you with a demure expression, as they prod at the snow with the stick they found back at the Ruins. Toriel let you both leave after much persuasion on Frisk's part, so now... Snow wasn't really the first thing you were expecting.

"What do you think?" You asked, glancing back to Frisk as you tottered on the ball of your heels. They shrugged, and tilted their head at you, but that was fine. You were used to not being answered. However, you froze as you turned around completely, and spotted... a skeleton? A monster, creeping behind them.

" **H U M A N.** " It started. Frisk shuddered. " **Don't you know how to greet a new p--** "

"FRISK!!" You call, startling them further. Even the Skeleton looks shocked, which is surprising due to a lack of facial features. But this isn't the time to debate about that. Instead, you take Frisk's hand and begin dragging them through the rather ineffective gate placed over the bridge. Frisk goes along with you, their eyes slightly opened in a panic as you pull them forward. 

"oh cripes." You hear from behind you. But in an instant, as you turn to face forward to at least watch where you're going, you see that same skeleton waiting up ahead. It's wearing a blue windbreaker, and its hands are up in the air as if surrendering. "uh, look, i didn't mean to start on the wrong foot. i was trying to be _humerus_."

"Nooope." Is your immediate response as you sidestep and barrel past them. The grin never leaves their face, but you get the distinct feeling that skeleton's not too pleased. Frisk trails along, keeping pace with you, and from the corner of your eye you can see them snickering from the skeleton's pun. They did the same thing when they found Toriel's pun journal.

"no, seriously, listen." The skeleton called out. "if you keep going that way, you're gonna run into my brother. he's a human hunting fanatic--"

"OH MY GOD, SANS!! YOU JUST LET THESE HUMANS WALK RIGHT PAST YOU!!"

"welp." The pinpricks in "Sans"' eyesockets flickered. "hey papyrus."

"SANS, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! BUT... I SUPPOSE I'LL LET IT SLIDE, AS YOU LED THESE HUMANS RIGHT TO ME!!"

And as if on cue, you find yourself face to face with an even taller skeleton. His footprints came from deeper within the forest, so it seems. Is that where you and Frisk are supposed to go?

"SURELY TODAY IS MY LUCKY DAY! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE NOT ONE, BUT  **TWO HUMANS!!!** " He leapt into the air with childish glee. "UNDYNE WILL SURELY ALLOW ME INTO THE ROYAL GUARD! I'LL FINALLY GET ALL THE RECOGNITION I DESERVE! AND PEOPLE WILL ASK TO BE MY FRIEND!! SO, WITH THAT IN MIND HUMANS, I MUST IMPLORE YOU TO TURN YOURSELVES IN PEACEFULLY... OR FACE THE EXQUISITE GENIUS OF THE PUZZLES I HAVE PREPARED!! FOR I WILL CAPTURE YOU!!"

 You blinked, and frowned. You weren't one for puzzles. Frisk on the other hand has the same, unreadable expression as ever. You let go of their hand.

"Frisk, I'll distract these two!" You say. "Run on ahead, I swear I'll catch up!"

"HUMAN, ARE YOU PERHAPS... ENGAGING IN A CONFRONTATION WITH ME??" 

 "oh boy."

Frisk stares at you briefly with an uncertain expression. You give them a thumbs up and an assuring smile, to the point where the short skeleton and tall skeleton exchange glances-- Frisk takes the opportunity to run ahead without you. 

"SANS, AFTER THEM!" Papyrus points, but Sans stays in place. He shrugs. "SANS, JUST WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON??"

"yours, bro." Sans glances to Papyrus again, and shakes his head at you. "uh, kid. it's a bad idea to want to fight my brother this early--"

"BEHOLD!!" Papyrus bellows. "YOU BEST NOT MOVE, HUMAN! ACCEPT YOUR CAPTURE IN GOOD GRACE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Your soul emerges from your chest as bones-- numerous in shape and light blue in color emerge from the floor as the taller one laughs, rattling his own bones in the process. You get into a sprinting posture.

"kid, seriously, listen to him-- don't mo--"

Your soul glows.

You begin running right into the fray, and even for a moment, Papyrus freaks out. However, like with you discovered with Toriel, as long as you kept moving forward... knowing that Frisk was ahead and that you had to catch up with them... it filled you with DETERMINATION.

The light blue bones do nothing to you as you run into them head on. It doesn't hurt at all. As you move forward and clear the distance between you and Papyrus, you unwaveringly run on, staring at the ground as you follow Frisk's footprints in the snow, leaving those two alone in your wake.

 

* * *

 

Papyrus is slack-jawed as his magic is dismissed. Even Sans looks surprised.

"SANS. W-WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN? THEY RAN THROUGH **A BLUE ATTACK**!!" He cries out, as if his world is shattered. "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE????"

The smaller of the two's eyelights watch the human disappear deeper into the forest. As Papyrus stamps his feet in dismay, Sans shoves his hands into his pockets and looks contemplative.

"they're orange." He answers.

 


	2. The Opposite of Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans decides to try something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to make puns or jokes. I'm sorry.

An orange soul.

That was new. Unprecedented after so many resets, but who would have figured. Sans didn’t even know human souls could come in orange, but then again, considering he and his brother could change souls blue… temporarily, anyway. He wondered how that would constitute against that human in the long run. If he called it an experiment, would it be inhumane?

Regardless, after calming down Papyrus some, Sans urged him to go on ahead to check if the humans had triggered or encountered any of his puzzles. This pacified him to some extent, although his brother remained blue at the idea his attack—coincidentally, the one Sans taught him how to use, failed to work against you.

Sans felt like he’d seen your type before. You were a person who didn’t listen to anyone—that was blatantly obvious.

You and the kid must have made some detour, seeing as Papyrus’s station was untouched. As he tread down the path to Snowdin, he felt like he should have expected you to get in trouble with Doggo. With that in mind, he strode right past him and waited, just outside.

 

* * *

 

When you caught up to Frisk, you found them fishing by the river with a lone pole. They had examined a small piece of paper with a number written on it, but only did so for a moment before casting the line back out when they saw you.

It was snowing.

Side by side, the two of you looked up. Despite being underground, the fact it could still snow… it felt a little strange. Frisk caught onto your train of thought, and in response, shrugged.

“Maybe it’s magic.”

“ _Snow_ way.” You almost feel ashamed of yourself as you’re not too fond of puns, but Frisk chuckles, and then points.

You see a bird-looking monster peek at you both from behind a tree. You hear Frisk mumble, “Snowdrake.”

“ _Icy_ you’ve got a habit for pointing out the obvious!” He calls.

You see Frisk outright laugh, and it warms your heart a little to the point you can’t stifle a chuckle of your own.

Snowdrake looks pleased with himself, before treading away.

“Do monsters have a thing for puns, Frisk?” You ask.

They shrug again, and begin walking with you. If there were footprints to follow, you can’t tell so much anymore because of the fresh snow. You come to another sentry station, but no one’s there. You can’t help but poke around, but all you find is a note written by “The Great Papyrus”.

“Fun.” You tilt your head. “Do you think the puzzles will be dangerous, Frisk?”

“I think things will be okay.” They answer.

And just like that, those magic words help you feel a little bit better.

 

* * *

 

“You read the sign. He outright said it.” Frisk reasoned, with a slightly chiding tone directed at you. “You should have just listened.”

“Well—yeah.” You muttered in defeat as you ducked Doggo’s swing.

You were being chased by Doggo. When you passed by his station after reading the sign, it was completely your fault that you failed to take heed of the sign’s warning. As a result, when you strode by, Doggo leapt at you immediately. Frisk stood by idly, trying their best to remain stationary as the dog chased after you, with swords brandished wildly. Running was really all you could do at this point. That’s what Toriel advised you to do when in a fight!

“I know there are two of you, so why can I only see one!?” He barked. “I would ask you to stay still so I can hit you, but that would be pointless!”

“Please.” Frisk uttered.

Before Doggo could pounce on you, you ducked and dropped to the floor, rolling away just enough to narrowly evade the sword strike that would have cut your soul. Despite the cold, you stay motionless in the snow, shivering just slightly. Just barely.

“Where did you go!?” He growls, and sniffs the air warily. Frisk at this point moves carefully, but it’s just enough to grasp Doggo’s attention away from you. As he bounds up to them, he freezes in place as a sword of blue whiffs harmlessly past Frisk’s face. You want to call their name, but… Frisk stares at you with a firm expression. You stay quiet.

“Who’s there!” Doggo yaps again. Before he can swing his sword again, with an impressive amount of timing on Frisk’s part, they manage to brush their palm against Doggo’s head, delicately, and repeatedly. Doggo stops immediately as he registers the gesture. His eyes narrow suspiciously, but his tail is wagging. “S-S-Something pet me… s-something that isn’t moving?”

A moment passes as Frisk lifts their hand away. Doggo shakes his head.

“I’m going to need dog treats for this.”

Within moments, he retreats to his sentry station. A faint burning odor fills the air momentarily, as Frisk finally moves to retrieve you from your spot in the snow, offering their hand. You sneeze briefly, rubbing your nose for a moment before taking it and getting back to your feet.

“Cold?” Frisk murmurs.

“I’m okay.” You shake your head. They look confused.

“But you shook your head.”

“I’m okay, really.” You insist.

Frisk gives you a doubtful expression, but keeps holding onto your hand. You walk alongside them, with them taking the lead this time.

The windbreaker-wearing skeleton was standing there, waiting, with his hands in his pockets. You remember the tall skeleton—Papyrus—calling him Sans. Your immediate first reaction is to attempt to take the lead again by running past him, but Frisk squeezes your hand, and stops you.

“yeah, that kid has the right idea.” Sans speaks, turning to address you both with one eye closed. You don’t know how he manages to look so whimsical. “they saw blue, and stopped. that’s an important thing to remember, since my brother has a special attack.”

“Uh-huh.” You nod blankly. Was it the blue bones from before?

“frankly, i wouldn’t want _tibia_ if you got hit by it.” Frisk snickers again, much to the skeleton’s delight. Your face scrunches up, but he seemingly takes pleasure in that reaction, too. “but even if you do, i wouldn’t sweat it so much. my brother isn’t dangerous, no matter how hard he tries to be.”

Sans seemingly sizes both you and Frisk up. He’s only a bit taller than you, but regardless, his eyelights stop on you. He stares with the same grin on his face, and part of you wonders if his gaze is lingering on your because he doesn’t know what to make of you. To be fair though, that’s the reason why you’ve been staring at him this entire time.

“you know, i don’t think we ever introduced ourselves to each other.” Sans murmurs, as he takes a hand out of his jacket, holding it out to either of you. You didn’t realize he was wearing mittens. How weird. “i’m sans the skeleton.”

“I’m Frisk.” Your friend says in reply, as they reach out to take his hand.

A loud, drawn out raspberry breaks the air and the modest quiet of the area. Frisk looks alarmed, and you honestly don’t know what you make of the sudden… fart. The cacophony destroys the peace of the area as monsters around stop and stare, until it all comes to an end with a small ‘poot’.

As Frisk draws their hand back, Sans reaches into his own mitten and pulls out a now-deflated whoopee cushion. As you stare, incredulous, his shoulders shake with muted laughter as he stows away the object in his jacket.

“heh. that’s always funny.” Sans seemingly lets out a sigh as he glances to you. “but don’t worry, kiddo. i have something for you, too.”

He holds out a glass orb for you to take, although he does so covertly so Frisk doesn't see. You wonder why. It looks really pretty. As he deposits it in your hand, you can’t help but feel a little bad for how you treated him before.

You decide to tell him your name.

 

* * *

 

After talking with you and Frisk for a bit, he warns them about the puzzle Papyrus set up ahead without giving too many details. Instead, he watches you both take the Northern path to visit the snowman. He takes this moment to take a shortcut back to where Papryus is. When Sans appears behind his brother, Papyrus looks baffled.

“what’s the matter, bro? you look… _puzzled_.”

“SANS!!” Papyrus yells, at the top of his lungs. "THE HUMANS WILL BE ARRIVING HERE ANY MOMENT! I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIX THIS PUZZLE, BUT THE ORB SEEMS TO HAVE GONE MISSING!! HOW CAN WE STOP THE HUMANS WITH OUR PUZZLE IF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS MISSING!!?"

Sans looked to the side, and shrugged.

"WHY ARE YOU SO UNCONCERNED? D-DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT MY SUCCESS??"

"of course I do. that's why i took a shortcut."

"SANS, YOU CAN'T TAKE SHORTCUTS IN LIFE! THAT IS EXTREMELY LAZY!" Papyrus raves. "YOU NEVER MAKE ANY SENSE!!"

"funny, i always thought i was the more sans-ible one."

" **SANS!!!** "

Sans took his eyes off his brother as the two of you came within view. As if on cue, Papyrus attempted to recollect himself, and let out one of his signature laughs. "AT LAST HUMANS, YOU HAVE ARRIVED TO THE FIRST OF MANY PUZZLES THAT WILL STAND IN YOUR WAY! MUCH FUN IS TO BE HAD, HUMAN!"

You and Frisk pause.

"I don't see anything." You say. The glass orb he gave you from before is in your hands.

"PERCEPTIVE, HUMAN! I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED NOTHING LESS FROM THE HUMAN WHO WITHSTOOD MY BLUE ATTACK!!" Papyrus clears his non-existent throat. "BUT THE RESULTS... SHOCKING THAN OF LAST TIME, YOU'LL FIND!! FOR THIS IS A MAZE! A MAZE WITH INVISIBLE WALLS, WHERE YOU WILL BE ELECTRIFIED IF YOU TOUCH THEM!! SUCH BRILLIANT INGENUITY ON MY PART! THAT IS, IF I HADN'T... OH!" Papyrus jumped. "YOU HAVE THE ORB ALREADY!?"

"You mean this?" You ask.

"YES!! YOU CAN TACKLE MY PUZZLE FIRST, WORTHY ADVERSARY!!"

Papyrus is pointing at you. You look confounded, but you begin walking straight ahead through the clearing, unharmed despite the crackle of electricity with your every step, until you're face to face with the skeleton brothers. Sans does all he can to hide his intrigue.

"HOW DID YOU JUST IGNORE ALL THE WALLS OF THE MAZE!? YOU LITERALLY JUST WALKED THROUGH EVERYTHING **AGAIN**!!" Papyrus shouts indignantly. "THERE WERE RULES!! OR MAYBE... THE ORB ISN'T WORKING?"

Papyrus plucks it out of your hands, intent to try it himself. Before Sans can say or do anything, he watches his brother walk into the wall of the maze-- Papyrus crackles and flies off into the next area.

You blink.

"Is your brother going to be all right?" You ask. 

"he trains with Undyne on a regular basis. he'll be bone-scuffled, at best. don't mind him if he **skull** ks" Sans answers, as he beckons to Frisk to come join you both. "so, that's how you work. i think i finally get it. sorry to put you through the zapper, kid, but i had a hunch you'd be fine. it's just, uh, we don't get many humans down here. much less ones that go guns blazing through every obstacle in their path."

"I could've been electrocuted." 

You and Frisk are frowning at him with the likes Sans has never seen before. He gives an apologetic grin.

"don't be mad, buddy." Sans sighs. "here. knock, knock."

You don't stop frowning. "Who's there?"

"boo."

"boo who?"

"don't start crying on me, kid." Sans winks. "it was just a joke."

You get a feeling he enjoys your subsequent reaction more than he should.

 


	3. According to Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everything goes wrong.

Your reaction to his joke was priceless, to say in the least.

“but nah, kid, joking aside, i’m sure you noticed it yourself by now.” Sans closed an eyesocket, and winked. “as long as you’re consciously moving forward into danger, you can’t get hurt.”

“Oh.” You say. You fumble around, as if trying to find words. “And you couldn’t tell me this because?”

“it’d be easier to show you.” Also in the regard where he couldn’t outright do anything without giving himself away. He briefly shrugs his shoulders and puts his hands into his pockets, while keeping his eyes on you. “sure is convenient, huh? with that in mind… you mind doing me a favor? you and frisk.”

“What?”

“go play along with my brother. he’s been feeling kinda down lately, and if you actually went with his puzzles, it would really make his day.”

Frisk nods immediately. You don’t seem quite as convinced, but you seemingly decide to go along with them at their silent insistence.

“Fine.”

“thanks, kiddo.”

 

* * *

 

 When they come to Sans’ word search puzzle, for the first time, he finds himself at a loss when you and the kid actually sit down and attempt to solve it. You’re both sitting cross-legged in the snow with a pen in hand, apparently having found all but one word. Even Frisk looks perplexed.

“The last one isn’t even a real word.” You pout, as Papyrus peeks over your shoulder. At some point, he went over to help the humans with their plight, giving them rather obtuse hints on where some words were.

“I KNOW, HUMAN! I CAN’T FIND IT EITHER!!”

Frisk takes a moment before circling the entire top row with the pen, looking pleased with themselves as they do so. You look happy for a moment, before staring—your expression twists into a look of dismay.

“Hey, Frisk, that can’t be right. The top row has a ‘U’, not an ‘E’.”

They look stunned as they take the puzzle from you. Papyrus also takes a motion to look, his skeletal features somehow twisting to express his indignation.

“SANS, YOU GAVE THEM A PUZZLE THAT’S UNSOLVABLE!”

“whoops." He said, looking to the side. "i knew i should have used today’s crossword instead.”

“PUZZLES ARE MEANT TO CONFOUND AND BE SOLVED, THEREFORE THIS WAS COMPLETELY UNFAIR! AND SANS, CROSSWORDS ARE BORING AND EASY! IF YOU WANTED TO GIVE THEM A CHALLENGE THAT’S FAIR ACTUALLY SOLVABLE, YOU WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM JUNIOR JUMBLE!!”

“that’s for baby bones, bro.”

“UN. BELIEVABLE.” Papyrus manages to roll his eyes, somehow. He turns to address you, but then falls silent—a rarity, even for Sans to witness. It’s not really hard to see why.

“so you _can_ do something other than frown.”

You stifle another giggle.

“Your brother’s so cool.” You titter, hiding a smile under your sleeve.

Papyrus’s mandible practically hangs.

“SANS, DID YOU HEAR THAT?? MY WORTHY ADVERSARY FINDS ME TO BE… COOL! FINALLY, SOMEONE GIVES I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THE RECOGNITION I DESERVE!”

“congrats for achieving your lifelong dream, bro.”

“NYEH HEH HEH!” Papyrus laughs, blushing just a tinge. “NOW ALL I HAVE TO DO IS CAPTURE THESE TWO, AND THEN I CAN FINALLY JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! UNDYNE WILL BE SO PROUD!”

As he yells this, his expression falls after a moment. He looks confused with himself before standing up, and walking away with a thoughtful expression. He turns on his heel, just before leaving. “WHEN YOU ARE PREPARED, HUMAN, COME TO THE NEXT STAGE! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL ENTICE YOU!!”

Sans watches his brother break into a run, before turning towards you and Frisk as you approach him. Where Frisk’s resting face equates into them looking completely neutral, your face is back to a frown.

“welp, that happened a lot faster than i thought would happen.”

“What do you mean?” Frisk tilts their head.

“mind doing me a solid, kids?”

“You already asked a favor, so…”

“no need to be so sternum, kiddo.” Sans winks at you, while Frisk stifles another giggle. You were a tough crowd, to say in the least. No wonder you got along swimmingly with his brother.

“If you want us to get captured, that’s not going to happen.” You frown.

“nah, if you’d listened to me before when we first met, you’d know i’m not really interested in that.” Sans looked to the side, towards the direction his brother ran in. “even though papyrus is, right now, i can’t really tell what he’s thinking. but if there’s something I’m sure of, he’s not in this to hurt you.”

“So what do you mean?”

Sans shrugs.

“just be nice to him.”

You pause, and look at Sans with a softened expression.

“You’re a good big brother, aren’t you?”

For once, Sans is at a loss for words before he saunters off.

 

* * *

 

 He doesn’t know how many timelines it’s been, but it’s the first time he’s been called that by anyone. He trails along idly as you and Frisk take turns with taking the lead through Papyrus’s puzzles, meeting Dogamy and Dogaressa, Greater Dog, and Lesser Dog. You both breeze through Alphy’s puzzle like it’s no one’s business (on the merit it doesn’t activate properly), and hit the switch puzzles like they’re nothing—or at least, Frisk does so as if they’ve done it all before. From the other side of the puzzle shaped like Papyrus’s grin, Sans watched Frisk do it by themselves while Papyrus went into the finer details of making spaghetti with you.

And of course, now the both of you are face to face with the Gauntlet of Deadly Terror. 

 

* * *

 

 “so, what’s the hold up?” Sans asks.

“HOLD UP? WHAT HOLD UP?” Papyrus looks away. “I’M… I’M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT RIGHT NOW!”

You’re standing behind Frisk, holding onto the rope bridge. You’re frowning harder than usual as your gaze is focused on Frisk’s back. Sans wonders to himself, could it be because you’re actually afraid this time?

Regardless, your fear is only fueling Papyrus’s indecision on the matter. Sans takes a moment to glance to his brother again, and he looks torn.

“your trap has them on the ropes, papyrus.”

“I DON’T APPRECIATE YOUR PUN-MAKING IN THE SLIGHTEST, SANS.”

“Please.”

Papyrus looks over to Frisk in an instant.

“I’m… n-not good with heights.” You stammer.

“NO GOOD WITH HEIGHTS…? THEN THIS CHALLENGE… THIS CHALLENGE… IS NO GOOD THEN! AFTER ALL, WE NEED TO CAPTURE THE HUMANS ALIVE!” Papyrus exclaims, pressing a button. “IF SOMETHING WERE TO GO WRONG, THE HUMANS CAN EASILY—“

With a boom, the cannon fired a bullet of a laughable size. Within moments, however, the bullet struck through the chain holding the spikeball in place.

Papyrus panics.

It dropped in an instant, as opposed to swinging back and forth like Papyrus described. It grazes a rope as it falls— The panels at Frisk’s feet splinters and shatters from the weight, knocking them off balance as the wood crumbles away. You let go of one of the ropes to take their hand and yank them backwards, away from the flamethrower with a look of unbridled panic. With the shifting weight, the bruised rope begins to fray.

You start moving. You take Frisk’s hand and begin bounding through the bridge recklessly, just barely avoiding the licking flames with them trailing just a step behind you. With a creak, the magic holding the spears positioned below and above unravels-

Your immediate reaction is to push Frisk forward and move backwards to avoid the spears— they launch, and destroy the other segment of the bridge that you were standing on mere seconds ago. The annoying dog drops on top of Frisk’s head as they stumble forward, but even while impeded they manage to safely make it to the other side because Sans catches them. You let out a sigh of relief as you fall backwards, but it doesn't last for long.

The spear just grazes your arm. You scream as it happens and the rope snaps—

The bridge rattles and comes apart.

You’re falling.

 

* * *

 

 “PAPYRUS!” Sans shouts—something he rarely ever did. Considering the circumstances though, well. His left eye was burning—he had just turned Frisk blue to draw them forward to safety, but didn't have enough time to do so for you. It had happened so fast. Too fast.

Regardless, Sans’ metaphorical heart leaps out of his chest when he sees his brother leap after you. Within seconds, Papyrus materializes a bone beneath you, extending it in hopes that it catches or at least snags you by your collar, but it snaps under your weight as you continue to plummet to the chasm below.

“FEAR NOT, HUMAN!” Papyrus called. You’re not even screaming anymore—you seem to be unconscious. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, REALIZE… I HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE!”

He hadn’t wanted this to happen at all. This was the complete opposite of what he had wanted.

Despite yelling at the top of metaphorical his lungs, Papyrus summons bones out of the walls to impede and stop your fall. You’re noticeably getting hurt, unlike all the other times—so what changed now? Blue wouldn’t help in this instance, and at this rate, he was just going to fall to his death alongside you.

Papyrus was afraid. But something... something festered within his ribcage. Despite the fear that threatened to take hold of him, he felt something else within the depths of his soul resonating.

“HUMAN!” He shouted. “I—I WILL BE THE ONE!”

He was so close to grabbing your hand.

“I **MUST** BE THE ONE!”

He took hold of your hand.

“I—“

It was so much smaller compared to his.

“I WILL **SAVE** YOU!”

He felt his right eye burn.


	4. Ignition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus gets the spotlight he deserves.

In a sudden burst, Papyrus accelerated. As he snatched up your hand, he summoned a bone and kicked off of its surface, using the momentum to bring him to the Cliffside. Without stopping, his eye swelled as he materialized a femur—one tinted orange—and slammed it into the cliff wall with all of his might. Undyne would have been proud.

As he began to slow, the femur lost its orange tint, turning into a pristine white.

It held fast, lodged within the wall.

Bits of rock and debris crumbled from the rather impressive scar just that single femur had left within the cliff face. Bits of singed rope fluttered down, as he began to pant—the rush was finally wearing off. The glow faded from his eye just as quickly as it had manifested. As such, when he materialized another femur— he took immediate notice it was just a regular white one. Regardless, he kicked it into the wall in order to give himself a stable foothold. Carefully, he readjusted his hold on you so that you were safely nestled in the nook of his arm.

His expression furrowed, despite the grin on his face. You were hurt.

“ **PAPYRUS!** ” He heard his brother yell from atop from the cliff. Papyrus looked up.

Just how far had you both fallen? Was there an under-underground? Would you both have ended up in a cave somewhere without your memories? Papyrus shook the thoughts out of his head as he heard his brother call for him again.

“ **PAPYRUS, ANSWER ME**!” As opposed to how lazy Sans always sounded, his voice was rife with dread and panic. It was surprisingly uncharacteristic—he must have been worried. “ **YOU BETTER NOT BE DEAD**!”

“BROTHER, I AM WELL!” He called. “AND I HAVE THE HUMAN WITH ME!!”

“oh thank god.” The sigh of relief that his brother let out echoed down the chasm.

“YOU SHOULD BE THANKING ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! FOR I WAS THE ONE WHO SAVED THIS HUMAN IN THEIR TIME OF NEED WITH MY ASTOUNDING BRAVERY! NYEH HEH HEH HEH! HEH!” He laughed, and then paused.

In hindsight, that sentence sounded wrong. You were one of the humans he was supposed to capture, and he had saved you.

Undyne would kill him if she found out about this. But maybe, just maybe, she’d be really proud…? He entertained that thought for a moment.

Whether Sans had answered him or not, Papyrus couldn’t tell. Instead, he heard a creaking noise from above. It was hard to make out anything else without someone yelling to him. Though…

“No… bad dog! Bad—!”

“bro, **MOVE**!”

The cannon looming above—he knew its precarious placement very well. After all, he was the one who installed it with that little flower’s insistence. He saw a brief flash of white and heard a small yip. The planks keeping the cannon in place creaked threateningly. Papyrus grimaced.

“I KNEW THE ANNOYING DOG WAS TOO MUCH OF A WILD CARD!”

A small bark greeted him as the cannon fell.

Papyrus began to move again. Bones outright sprung from the surface of the cliff, in lieu of a staircase. His first step was shaky—the magic he used to summon the bones easily crumbled away under his own weight, but he had to keep moving. There wasn’t any time. His right iris burned orange as he took another bound, making a miscalculated leap upwards to the falling piece of equipment. He made brief eye contact with the annoying dog as it leapt and snatched what would have been his next foothold.

“CURSE YOU, ANNOYING DOG!”

“ **PAPRYUS!** ”

With no way to stop, and nowhere to go but up, his iris glowed. But just for a moment—just for a split second, he saw the cannon envelop in a blue aura, suspending it in mid air. It flickered. As Papyrus rapidly approached, with his free hand, he manifested another orange femur and swung with a triumphant “NYEH!”

With a strength he never knew, the cannon was met with such a force that it was lodged into the opposite side of the chasm. Papyrus manifested another foothold, and struck the femur into the wall, amazed by his(?) handiwork. His scarf fluttered in the wind, as he gaped.

“WOWIE… ALL THAT TRAINING I DID WITH UNDYNE PAID OFF!”

“just… just climb, pap.”

Papyrus looked up. Sans was panting and sweating, like he looked really tired. It was more likely that he’d been scared out of his mind—Papyrus would have to apologize later. Though, in taking the time to look up, he didn’t realize how much ground he had covered in such a short amount of time. The remnants of what had been the bridge were just within arm’s reach, now. There wasn’t a need to keep climbing and exhausting himself with his magic. As such, he hoisted himself onto the makeshift ladder.

Once secure, both Sans and Frisk began tugging and pulling the ladder up, ultimately taking you and him to safety. Once a safe distance away from the cliff, Papyrus sets you down on the snow. Frisk runs to you immediately, with a worried expression—you’re still unconscious and rather bruised in some places. Papyrus shifts awkwardly, and makes a mental note to apologize to you in private when he had the chance.

He finally meets Sans’ gaze. Sans sweats, and is panting as if he had a workout—which is no surprise to Papyrus, as his brother is so lazy. The grin is still present on his face, but he looks worried. Even still, something is vivid in Papyrus’s mind: the idea that he went so far to help him and warn him of the Annoying Dog… Papyrus can’t help but grin in response.

“SANS, I’M GOING TO ONLY SAY THIS ONCE. YOUR FORM WAS SLOPPY AND IN THAT REGARD, I FEEL YOU SHOULD ACCOMPANY ME NEXT TIME I GO AND TRAIN WITH UNDYNE.” He started. Sans merely stared at him tiredly. “WITH THAT SAID… WHAT YOU DID JUST THEN…”

“oh cripes. papyrus—” Sans instantly panics and closes his left eye, even covering it with his left hand. “did you see—“

“IT WASN’T ENTIRELY TERRIBLE. I’M PROUD TO BE YOUR BROTHER, SANS.”

Sans stops in his tracks entirely. He relaxes, and his grin reflects something more… genuine. He lets out a sigh of relief, and the sweat beads around his face vanish.

“…ah. heh.” Sans puffs. “thanks, bro.”

Without a moment to spare, Sans makes a rather rare show of affection by giving him a hug. Papyrus obliges, and lets out a sigh of relief of his own, just as Sans releases him from his hold.

“I’M THROUGHLY SURPRISED YOU DIDN’T RUIN THE MOMENT WITH A PUN.” Papyrus says, picking you up again. “NOW BEFORE THINGS ESCALATE ANY FURTHER OR BEFORE SANS CHANGES HIS MIND, I SUGGEST WE MAKE A CHANGE OF SCENERY AND HEAD HOME TO TEND TO THE HUMAN’S COMPANION. THAT WILL BE FOR THE BETTER.”

“yeah." Sans nods in agreement. "it’ll be a moving experience.”

“OH. MY GOD, **SANS**.” Before he can continue his spiel, he looks down.

From the nook of Papyrus’s arm, you laugh- just a little.

 

 


	5. Influence

It’s Frisk’s suggestion to make soup for you, but Papyrus insists on spaghetti. Sans sits on the couch as he watches this debate go on for a while, before the two ultimately decide to rely on “Master Chef Papyrus” and his expertise in “the finer arts of spaghetti-making for worthy adversaries”. Sans immediately made a mental note prepare for the worst in the event Papyrus burned the house down in his machinations, but oddly enough, his brother seemed relatively drained of his own energy, too.

Sans doesn’t blame him, partly.

Papyrus must have worn himself out using all that magic to scale the cliff. He felt that way whenever he did something more than just taking a shortcut, albeit, that could be attested to his lack of training. Like he cared.

As such, just this once, he and Frisk were the ones cooking in the kitchen. He would have just gone straight to Grillby’s to get something, but Papyrus would have turned his nonexistent nose at the notion. He’d probably go there on his own at some point, regardless.

“What’s…?” Sans turns as he sees Frisk peek through the oven door. They’re staring quizzically at the contents, as a savory smell begins to waft through the air.

Sans shrugs to the kid.

“is that a rhetorical quiche-tion, kiddo?”

Frisk stares for a moment, before they brighten in expression.

“heh. i can’t believe you liked that one. it was a little cheesy, even for me.”

Even from the kitchen, Sans can hear Papyrus’s groans of disapproval. “NOT SPAGHETTI?”

“too much effort, bro.”

“YOU JUST PREFER BAKING BECAUSE WAITING AROUND FOR THE FOOD TO BAKE GIVES YOU AN EXCUSE TO BE LAZY.”

“that, and i wouldn’t be able to make spaghetti as great as you do, anyway.”

“BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT PAPYRUS. AT LEAST YOU ADMIT IT.”

Papyrus sounded smug. Sans gave his brother a shrug, despite knowing he wouldn’t see the gesture. Frisk is still watching the quiche bake, patting their knees impatiently as they’ve sat down on the floor, cross-legged.

“not gonna watch tv with your friend and papyrus, kiddo?”

Frisk shakes their head, and continues watching the quiche. Sans suppresses a chuckle at best, but with Frisk’s back turned…

…

He pauses. He would have moved to join Papyrus with a “suit yourself” accompanied by a shrug, but no words came. He made no motion to move. Instead, he felt a twinge in his chest. Sans appropriately holds his hand over his ribcage, even knowing that there’s no heart held in there to keep from leaping out of his chest. A wave of déjà vu hits him.

For a moment, he holds his breath, trembling in place as the lights in his eye sockets flicker—the left turning blue for just a moment before Sans reigns his anxiety in.

The skeleton quietly goes over to the drawer where the knives are kept, and makes sure they’re all accounted for.

 

* * *

 

 You’re feeling just a bit better. After fainting from your fear of heights and regaining consciousness, you felt slightly embittered from having to go through all of that to start with, but you’re not entirely stupid. You saw Papyrus’s reaction to seeing the puzzle go off, and even after you regained consciousness, he practically bounced in unbridled glee. After carrying you to his and Sans’ house (at his insistence), once he placed you on the couch, he wringed his scarf in his hands, and was genuinely apologetic.

Papyrus insisted to Frisk that HE had to be the one to treat the cut the spear left. Although, his knowledge on humans requiring medical attention was lacking, to the point where you had to instruct him on how to bandage the wound yourself. He did an okay job. You praised him anyway.

It hurt, a little. Your orange and cream striped sweater was ruined now because of it, but in hindsight, that should be the least of your concerns. Even though you were only out for a moment, it felt like you missed a lot. Weren’t you and Frisk technically captured now? And how Papyrus managed to rescue you from falling down a chasm is beyond you.

“IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT THE STATE OF YOUR SWEATER, SANS AND I HAVE A SEWING MACHINE.” Papyrus said in his usual tone, albeit there was something slightly comforting. “WE USED IT TO CRAFT MY BATTLE BODY.”

“Battle Body?” You parrot.

“his costume.” Sans answers, poking his head out of the kitchen briefly.

“IT’S NOT A COSTUME, SANS!" He yelled. "IT IS JUST A STEP BELOW MY UNIFORM FOR WHEN I JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!”

“About that.” You murmur. “Are you going to turn us in?”

Papyrus falls silent, looking thoughtful.

“ONCE YOU ARE BETTER, WE'LL HAVE A FAIR AND PROPER DUEL OUTSIDE OF SNOWDIN. NO MORE PUZZLES, NO MORE TRAPS… NOT THAT I HAD ANY LEFT FOR YOU. BUT STILL!!” Papyrus jumps to his feet briefly in his excitement, but then elects to sink back into the couch when Sans pokes his head out of the kitchen. You tilt your head, and he turns to address you. “HOW DOES THAT SOUND, WORTHY ADVERSARY?”

“I can do that. As long as you leave Frisk out of it.” You nod. “Though, you look really tired.”

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, TIRED?” He laughed loudly. “I GET A BETTER WORKOUT WITH UNDYNE THAN I DO FROM CHASING HUMANS DOWN CHASMS! THOUGH, TO BE HONEST, IT WAS… REALLY SCARY.”

You weren’t watching TV anymore. Your eyes were trained on Papyrus.

“I FELT TERRIBLE WHEN I SAW YOU FALL.” He continued. “I COULDN'T LET IT HAPPEN, EITHER-- I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO DIE. AFTER ALL, YOUR RUN AGAINST THE GAUNTLET OF TERROR WASN'T EXTREMELY TERRIBLE! AND, EVEN THOUGH I WAS SUPPOSED TO CAPTURE YOU, SEEING YOU BRAVELY TACKLE MY PUZZLES HEAD ON… I WAS MOVED. SO HUMAN, IF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS MAY POSE A QUESTION TO YOU... WHAT MOVES YOU? IS IT HOPES? IS IT YOUR DREAMS?”

"Is that a riddle?"

"IT COULD BE WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF FINE-TUNING! BUT NO, SERIOUSLY."

"Is your dream to join the Royal Guard?"

"YES!! MY GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT AND ALL MY ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE END WITH JOINING THE ROYAL GUARD! THAT, OR GOING TO THE SURFACE AND DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE WIND BLOWING THROUGH MY HAIR!" Papyrus bellowed, before catching himself. You can't help but giggle, and in turn, he stamps his foot rather childishly. "HUMAN, STOP DODGING MY QUESTIONS WITH SUCH EXPERTISE!! I AM INTERVIEWING YOU TO FIND WHAT IS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND YOUR ACTIONS!!!"

"the kid's playing you like a fiddle, papyrus."

"SANS!!!"

Your face puckers, and lips form into a thin line with downturned edges; you hear a chuckle from Sans as he retreats into the kitchen again. Moments later, a savory smell wafts out-- is the quiche done? You were kind of looking forward to that, though it's not your favorite. You would have preferred a fresh baguette... though, Toriel's pie was okay, even if you didn't like Cinnamon. As you muse this to yourself, you realize Papyrus is still fuming and awaiting your answer. You pause, and hum slightly, contemplating...

"I'm just trying to be brave." You finally answer.

"BRAVE?"

You nod, and hold your hand over your chest as you sink further into the couch. From the corner of your eye, you can see Sans and Frisk place the quiche on the table.

"The Underground isn't really so much of a scary place as I thought. A lot of the monsters here are nice-- Like you and your brother, even though you almost killed me." Papyrus shifts nervously as you point that out, but regardless, you continue. "I'm not mad or anything, by the way. I mean, it was an accident, right?"

"ABSOLUTELY."

"Okay, so with that settled... I guess, at times, there's this feeling in my chest. Whenever something happens, there's this rush that tells me if I don't keep moving forward, something bad will happen. That if I turn away and avert my eyes, that if I stay in the same place... nothing will happen. I guess, if it were just me... I'd probably keep doing the things I've always done. But Frisk is here- and you've seen them, right? They always deal with things so well, and I kind of envy how they can just _do_ things despite being in-over their head. They climbed Mt. Ebott based on a dare meant for me, but I was too afraid. They went in my place, but I couldn't understand why, because of the legends." You shook your head. "... I was even more scared of the idea something would happen to them once they got there, so I followed them, and... here we are." 

As you paused to find your words, you didn't notice that aside from Papyrus, Sans and Frisk had also been listening in on your conversation. 

"... I guess I've just been trying to be brave by moving forward. Because that's what Frisk does."

"BUT WHY, HUMAN?"

You pause.

"It's because I want to change." You say, looking up at him. "I want to be a hero."

Maybe it was just your imagination, but you see Papyrus's right eye flicker.

"sorry to interrupt your date, but the grub is done. you might wanna grab a slice quiche-ly before frisk goes through it all."

"SANS, FIRST OF ALL, HOW DARE YOU."

"Yeah." You pout. "We're just friends."

"YEAH!! WE'RE JUST FRIE--" Papyrus stopped, and gaped. "... YOU MEANT **WORTHY ADVERSARIES** , RIGHT???? I MEAN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD BE COMPLETELY **NOT AGAINST** ALLOWING YOU TO BE MY FRIEND! EVEN IF YOU ARE HUMAN!! BUT ONLY IF YOU INSIST IT!!!"

"Do you think we're friends, Papyrus?" You ask.

"HUMAN, STOP TURNING MY OWN QUESTIONS AGAINST ME!!" Papyrus, surprisingly, looked flustered. "B-BUT I SUPPOSE... YES, HUMAN!! WE ARE INDEED BOTH FRIENDS AND WORTHY ADVERSARIES! AND BECAUSE WE ARE FRIENDS, I CAN'T POSSIBLY TURN YOU INTO UNDYNE... NYOO HOO HOO."

"Well, you could." You shrug. "What's the worst Undyne can do?"

An odd silence fell over the dinner table.

 

* * *

 

The flicker of orange doesn't go unnoticed just by you. Sans sees it full well, and has been eavesdropping on your entire conversation. He'd have to make mental notes of all of this later, due to the fact there's a lot more going on than that he initially realized.

Frisk climbed **Mt. Ebott** of all places _based on a dare_. If you called yourself a coward by comparison to Frisk, they had to be absolutely fearless. Things couldn't have been so simple as that, could it? What kid in their right mind would want to climb a mountain that both monsters and humans knew as notorious for disappearances? Sans sighed as he sat on the couch eating his slice of quiche, despite Papyrus's demands for him to sit on the table. Not that there was room for him. There were only three chairs anyway, and the couch was far more roomy, even if it was sunken in towards the middle.

He recalled your words.

_"... I guess I've just been trying to be brave by moving forward. Because that's what Frisk does."_

If only that were the actual case. If the kid could just be content with moving forward, that would have made life so much easier. The massive anomaly in the timespace continuum... timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting... until suddenly, everything ends. Everything 'RESET', but there were occasions that things would slip through time. As fragmented as it was, it shouldn't have been so much of a surprise, and yet... The photo he'd inexplicably found in his jacket of everyone- notably, with a strange monster woman he'd never seen before and Frisk standing in the middle... that was proof enough they'd gotten to the surface before.

So where did you fit into this equation?

At some point when you had fallen from the bridge, Sans took the first opportunity to use his own magic to draw Frisk forward into safety. They had been closer, and it was more within reason to do so. But there was also another reason; he wanted to see if Frisk was willing to use the ability he'd only been vaguely aware of. "SAVING".

But ultimately, it wasn't Frisk who did anything. Seeing Papyrus jump after you like that... to say in the least, Sans hadn't expected his brother to get so attached to you so quickly. While his brother was statistically stronger than Undyne herself, Papyrus was unwilling on many levels to actually hurt others or take their lives. With that lack of resolve, or LOVE, rather... well, Sans thought his brother was perfect the way he was. Papyrus would have wholeheartedly agreed.

Interestingly, though... your orange soul was resonating with Papyrus's own magic. Influencing him.

While Sans had stopped the cannon just enough to give Papyrus the opportunity to strike it, the amount of strength in his  **orange** attack was something he had never seen before. In standards of power, Sans was no slouch himself, but Papyrus had a lot of potential himself; frankly, this was the first time he'd seen any sort of capacity for orange from his brother. Sans wondered if his brother would ever bring it up to him.

For now, he'd keep watch.

Like a good big brother.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://soundcloud.com/anime_sonicmega/papyrus-makes-a-mixtape-final
> 
> This is great. You all should take a listen if you haven't heard this yet.


	6. Orange Creamsicle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying something different narration-wise. Let me know if it's working.

You and Frisk are spending the night.

Neither of you have enough to pay for a room at the Inn, and you recall Papyrus insisting with fervor that it was fine. Sans seemed unbothered by the idea, but insisted that the three of your have your sleepover in Papyrus's room. After a brief tour and taking a moment to browse through Papyrus's bookshelf and oogle his action figures, blankets were spread on the hot-rod trimmed carpet and pillows were fluffed in preparation for a restful sleep. You were mildly entertained when Sans came in the room dressed in his own pajamas and began reading a bedtime story to everyone.

Within moments, Papyrus had fallen fast asleep.

Frisk, too, inevitably began to doze. They slept with their face buried in a pillow.  They did the same thing back at the Ruins. Briefly, you wondered how they could breath in a position like that.

Being still cold from your lack of a sweater, you were bundled up in one of the blankets Papyrus had provided. As a result, you were unable to sleep, even after the tale of the Fluffy Bunny came to an end. Sans closed the book, and closed both of his eye sockets. You still don't know how he manages to do that.

"still awake, huh, kid." He murmured, just audible for you to hear, but not loud enough to wake the others. "heh. you're the toughest crowd i've had yet."

"It was a good story," You say. "It's just cold, and it's hard to sleep when you can't really tell what time it is."

Sans looks at you with an almost benign expression. It's yearning, and it's only on his face for a moment as he shoots you a sardonic grin. "living in a town that's _snowed in_ does that."

He gets a kick out of your subsequent grimace, and shrugs as he gets up to put the book away. He missed the point of what you meant, too. Having lived on the surface, being able to tell night from day was something that you missed. You decide not to bring that up because you doubt he may understand your point, albeit that brief look of his gives you a feeling you may be wrong.

You get the feeling he tells those jokes not only because he has a taste for them, but because of the ensuing reaction he gets out of others. But that's just what you think, and you keep that thought to yourself. As the book slides into the shelf with a quiet tap, he turns to regard you. "oh yeah. your creamsicle sweater still has that rip through the sleeve, huh?"

"Creamsicle?" You parrot, with a perplexed look.

"it's orange and white like one of those nice creams. or popsicles. though you're more of a firecracker, huh?" Sans sports a grin. "y'know. those pop n' sizzle."

"That one was a stretch." You puff your cheeks.

"i'm working on my impromptu comedy act, kid. the only time you ever seem to laugh is when papyrus is awake. and don't get me wrong. my brother's cool, but it's a comedian's job to be able to get a chuckle out of anyone." Sans, again, pulls off that whimsical expression you're relatively used to seeing now. His grin remains ever the same, but for a moment, his eyes dart away, and he looks to the side. "and, uh, speaking of jokes, you said something pretty funny before dinner, too."

"Like what?"

" **Letting Papyrus turn you in**." 

The tension in the room rose for an instant, even with Frisk and Papyrus sleeping soundly. Without his jacket pockets to keep his hands in, Sans merely folded his arms as he kept his left eye trained on you. Like he's judging you for something, but you can't be sure.

"Is... that a bad thing?"

"... i'll let you be the judge of that." He shrugs his shoulders lazily, as he begins to head for the door. "if i were you, i wouldn't rush into things. even if that is your thing. sometimes it's just better to take things as they are." He pauses, glancing back at you. "and, uh, one last thing."

"Yes?" You partly fear he'll tell you something ominous. 

"i asked the Snowdin shopkeep to mend your sweater."

"Oh." The words practically drop from your mouth. "Thank you."

"thanks for being friends with papyrus."

You don't even have time to respond as the door closes with a click. With you huddled in blankets accompanied by the sound of soft breathing coming from Frisk and Papyrus's occasional sleep "nyeh"s, you eventually take to watching snow fall from the dark sky.

You fall asleep, feeling a little lonely that there are no stars to count.

 

* * *

 

 When you wake, there's a plate of spaghetti, along with your sweater. It's been folded neatly on the floor, set alongside with two notes. You pick up the first that was scribbled in pen. It's from Frisk.

 

> _I went to Grillby's with Sans after picking up your sweater._

 

You feel kind of dismayed from learning this information in part that this meant Frisk left you behind and didn't bother to wake you up. It was the same when they'd awoken from their nap at Toriel's and you saw Frisk chasing Toriel down the basement. You caught up with them anyway, but Frisk was really a free spirit, weren't they? This is why you felt you had to run in order to keep up with them.

You take a moment to inspect the other note by the spaghetti. It's from Papyrus.

 

> YOU SLEPT IN!! FRISK SAID NOT TO WAKE YOU, THOUGH, SO INSTEAD, I HAVE DONE YOU THE SERVICE OF WAKING UP TO A PLATE OF SPAGHETTI, MADE BY YOURS TRULY: THE GREAT MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS. TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED TO SAVOR THE DELICIOUS MEAL I HAVE MADE FOR YOU. - NYEH HEH HEH, PAPYRUS

 

 You take a moment to tap the spaghetti with the fork laid out for you with a curious expression. As you do, you realize it's like one of those food displays that you see in store windows-- that's to say, it's completely hardened and nearly impossible to pull apart. You're also 100% sure that you see glitter in the sauce. You recall the spaghetti that was meant to jape you, and the fact that it was frozen solid. It seemed as if this was only barely an improvement. Was this why Sans insisted that he be the one to cook something last night? This answered some questions. Now you regret not waking up earlier to go to "Grillby's" or wherever with Sans and Frisk.

 You take the time to sculpt the spaghetti to give the appearance that you've gone through some of it. As you move to take your sweater, you realize there's something under it.

It's a Nice Cream, still inside the wrapper. It feels cold to the touch still; was that due to magic? You feel that it's oddly convenient. You tug on your sweater before sitting down and unwrapping the bar of nice cream. The wrapper was lined with the words, "You look nice today!"

It was orange creamsicle.

You have the distinct feeling that this may have been on purpose.

After eating it, you head downstairs with the plate of spaghetti, immediately spotting Papyrus from the second level. He waves to you jovially.

"FRIEND!! I SEE YOU HAVE AWOKEN FROM YOUR SLUMBER! YOU ALMOST SLEEP AS MUCH AS SANS DOES!"

"Are Frisk and Sans still out?" You ask, as you put the spaghetti on the table. Papyrus marches over and examines your handiwork, and you briefly hope he doesn't notice.

"THEY DROPPED OFF YOUR SWEATER BEFORE HEADING OVER TO GRILLBY'S TO HAVE HIS GREASY FOOD. WHICH IS A GOOD THING, BECAUSE I SEE YOUR SWEATER IS GREASE-FREE. AND SO IS MY SPAGHETTI, WHICH I SEE THAT YOU HAVE TASTED!"

"It would be better with a baguette." You nod. Not that you didn't eat any of his spaghetti, but he doesn't have to know that. "Do you want to finish it? I don't think I can eat another bite."

"I SEE YOUR TRUE INTENTIONS, MY WORTHY ADVERSARY!!" You freeze in place as Papyrus takes the plate of spaghetti and grins. "YOU ACTUALLY CAME DOWN AND LEFT SUCH A GENEROUS PROPORTION OF SPAGHETTI BECAUSE YOU INTENDED TO SHARE IT WITH ME TO START WITH! SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO, HUMAN!!"

"Great. Also, you don't mind if I use your kitchen, right? I kind of want bread..." You ask, as you point in the direction of it.

"WHY NOT BUY A CINNAMON BUNNY IF YOU CRAVE BAKED GOODS? OR EVEN... WE CAN MAKE A SPAGHETTI CAKE!"

"Huu..." You scratch your cheek. "I don't like cinnamon too much. It's not like I'm baking a cake, but... well, you'll see. And, I told you my name, didn't I, Papyrus?"

"I DON'T RECALL THAT EVER, SO NO."

"It's..."

 

* * *

 

"those two really have a _cam_ -araderie going on, eh, frisk?" Sans said idly, as he chugged a bottle of ketchup. Frisk had a plate of fries in front of them; they simply chuckled, and nodded in response to Sans's pun. "heh. 's kind of nice."

Sans and Frisk both sat in a booth at Grillby's, minding themselves as the former drank in the mood of the diner. A certain warmth exuded, permeating and making it easier for Sans to get a grip on his nerves. The dog sentries yipped and kept to themselves, with the lesser dog playing poker with himself in the back wall. The big guy, Greater Dog, always had a goofy grin on his face. Things were always the same at Grillby's, and in a way, it was comforting to Sans.

As always, Frisk was a silent one. At the moment, Sans found it debatable whether he'd have better luck making a conversation with an Echo flower.

"so, kid... with you and your friend... you're set on leaving, i assume?"

Frisk nodded.

"'s fine by me." Sans said, leaning into his seat. "pap's already mentioned undyne several times already, so i imagine you've already got some kinda idea what'll happen when you leave snowdin."

There wasn't a response from Frisk. Sans partly expected this.

"you know, undyne... she's the head of the royal guard. y'know, or actually, maybe you don't know. anyway, it's, uh, a band of knights papyrus's dead set on joining." Sans said, taking a loud sip of ketchup. "he's technically in-training to join the royal guard, but... heh, it's complicated."

"Why are you telling me this?" Frisk asked, their plate of fries empty.

"can't i make conversation with a friend? anyway, if you intend to leave, you and the other kid are gonna meet undyne sooner or later." Sans shrugged. "what you do while knowing all of this... well, isn't that up to you?"

Surprisingly, Frisk got up and out of the booth. Their expression was unreadable, and in a lot of ways, that unnerved the skeleton. He kept his eye trained on them, as he took another swig to polish off the bottle. Frisk paused for a moment, as if contemplating something. As if they were internally debating with themselves as to what? Sans only wish he knew. He took the kid here to get a better read on them, and unsurprisingly, he ended up being the one doing most of the talking. At least the other one had the gall to talk about themselves.

After a moment of quiet deliberation from their part, Frisk finally spoke.

"We should head back." They said derisively. 

"yeah," Sans agreed as he got to his feet. "papyrus is probably force-feeding your friend his spaghetti."

"Is that bad?"

"well, uh, it's not edible, for starters."

"Oh." Frisk blinked, and pointed. "We should go."

Sans chuckled, and looked towards Grillby in an indicative gesture to put the meal on his tab, as per usual.

 

* * *

 

"OH, SANS! FRISK! YOU HAVE RETURNED!!"

"Hi!" You greeted.

Both Sans and Frisk were at a loss for words. Empty containers were piled on top of each other neatly in a stack, though there were tomato smears on the refrigerator and kitchen walls. Pasta, cooked to al dente, had stuck to the ceiling. There was a numerous amount of french baguettes. An astounding amount, actually. Half of which were stuffed with spaghetti, as evidenced by the fact they were cut in half, and still steaming. One had a large bite taken out of it. There was even a baguette in your hands-- it was as hard as a rock due to the fact you had thrown it outside for just a little while to make it stale, tough, and partially frozen.

Presently, you were standing on the sofa with the bread roll in your hands, as if you were using it like a sword. Papyrus too, was armed with a baguette of his own. 

"do i wanna know how things came to this?" Sans deadpanned.

"Oh, I, um." You started, lowering your baguette. "Papyrus wanted to show me what he had learned from Undyne!"

Frisk stared.

"You mean... you were fighting?" 

"NONSENSE! WE WERE COOKING!!" Papyrus corrects. "WE DON'T HAVE SPEARS THOUGH, AND THROWING BONES AT EACH OTHER WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO DANGEROUS. THE HUMAN ISN'T EVEN CAPABLE OF MAGIC ANYWAY..." Papyrus started. "BUT THEY SOMEHOW MAGICALLY CREATED THIS AMAZING BREAD IN WHICH SPAGHETTI CAN BE STUFFED INSIDE OF! IT'S INGENIOUS AND INFINITELY LESS OF A MESS TO CLEAN UP AFTER!!"

"uh, yeah." Sans said, eyeing the walls. Frisk looked dumbfounded.

"IT'S A CULINARY DREAM COME TRUE, SANS. I'VE NEVER FELT SO ENLIGHTENED IN MY LIFE." Papyrus went on, holding his spaghetti-stuffed baguette skyward. "WHERE PUZZLES ARE A BATTLE OF WITS, THE KITCHEN IS TRULY A BATTLEFIELD OF ITS OWN!!! MAYBE, THIS IS WHAT UNDYNE WAS TRYING TO TELL ME ALL ALONG???"

Papyrus gaped as a realization hit him. He turned to you with unadulterated glee. 

"FRIEND, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS... JUST HAD THE MOST BRILLIANT OF IDEAS!!"

"What is it?" You asked quizzically. 

"YOU COULD... YOU COULD BEFRIEND UNDYNE!! THROUGH COOKING!!!!! IT'S PRACTICALLY FAIL-PROOF IF I BRING YOU DURING MY LESSON FOR TODAY!!" Papyrus cheered. "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS POSSIBILITY SOONER???"

In an instant, Papyrus scooped you up and tucked you under his shoulder. You feel that this is becoming a regular occurrence, but you hold onto your baguette regardless.

"LET US GO POSTHASTE!!" Papyrus yells, laughing his signature laugh as he sprints out the door with you in tow.

From behind, you can hear a last "welp."


	7. Waterfall

Sans would have taken a shortcut to head off his brother and the kid, had he enough time to react in proper. But as always, there was another reason; Frisk was still here, still dumbfounded by the turn of events. If he didn't know any better, he would have second-guessed Frisk's intentions and assumed that on some level, maybe they were just doing this on purpose. Just standing around. And if that were the case, Sans really couldn't do anything; after all, he wasn't much better.

"... so, seems like those two are gonna meet undyne." Sans finally breaks the silence. "... i get the feeling your friend is gonna have a bad time."

Frisk seems to tense at those words, but they don't say anything in response. Sans finds this intriguing on some level, but he can't place a phalange on 'why'.

That is, unless, Frisk has heard it before.

"hey, kiddo."

"Yes?"

"you can go on ahead. papyrus'll get upset if he comes back and sees this mess is still here. being his brother and all... i guess even i feel a little obligated to clean up after him." Sans said, chuckling to himself as he picked up a sliced baguette. Even he realized how utterly out of character this was for him. As he sighed and took a second look at the sizable mess those two had left in their wake, Sans paused. "not gonna lie, seeing things as is makes me want to  _loaf_  around too."

Sans expected a chuckle, or even one of the kid's small smiles. Something to lighten up their mood. Instead, he noticed that Frisk hadn't moved in the slightest. Not even to laugh. They were looking down at their shoes, with their fists balled; they seemed to be steeped in thought as evidenced by the wrinkles between their eyebrows.

"frisk."

They turned. "Sans?"

"didn't you hear me?" he said, looking to the side. "aren't you, uh, worried about them?"

"I am, but... shouldn't you come too?" They asked. 

If there was one things Sans was good at, he was good at figuring out the intentions of others. Piecing little things together, be it feelings of déjà vu or through the expressions of others. In this case, whether he'd gone through something like this before was unknown to him, and rather than determination, he was filled with a sense of anxiety. Dread. The skeleton looked at Frisk's face, and studied their features.

Even if only for a brief moment.

"i know a shortcut." Sans said in response, with his right eye closed. "i'll  _ketchup_  with you once i'm done here." 

Frisk only nodded reluctantly, before heading out the door. The closed it after, and continued at the same pace they always went.

Sans's eye flared for a brief moment as he gave the baguettes that seemed edible a shortcut to the kitchen counter. The ones that had been sawed in half with spaghetti stuffed in them went to the trash, as he materialized a bone to scrape the pasta off the wall. As it fell, he also gave it a shortcut to the trash.

In short, he cleaned up everything but the kitchen sink and the vegetable smeared wall without so much as moving a finger. Why? One: because he was lazy. Two: his thoughts were still focused on Frisk, to some veritable degree.

Although the concern in Frisk's voice seemed genuine, their body language betrayed them.

There was something on their mind that they were hiding.

Sans had a bad feeling.

He checked the knife drawer again.

Everything was still accounted for.

With that settled, Sans took a breath, and took his shortcut to his sentry station.

And waited.

 

* * *

 

 Frisk finally came by after some time. Sans had was resting his cheek against his palm.

He waved lazily, as Frisk raised their own hand to regard him.

"took you a while, kiddo." He murmured. "if you'd gotten here faster, i could've taken my brunch with you."

Frisk blinked, but then nodded apologetically as they bunched the front of their striped shirt. Sans waved it off a moment after.

"there's been a bit of a commotion up ahead. careful out there."

As they went, again, Sans noted their usual pace.

There was no sense of urgency when it came to that kid.

In a certain regard, he liked that.

 

* * *

 

 Sans took another shortcut. He saw Papyrus and you standing around his telescope.

"OH, HELLO BROTHER!" Papyrus greeted.

"hey papyrus." Sans nodded, as he strode over with his hands in his pockets. "you two look like you're having fun."

"I CALLED UNDYNE TO MEET ME AT HER HOUSE FOR TODAY'S LESSON. LITTLE DOES SHE KNOW... THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE BRINGING OUR FRIEND OVER TO PLAY WITH HER." He looked pleased with himself. You simply shrugged when Sans looked at you with a worried smile. "WHERE IS FRISK?"

"taking their time." He said, glancing to the side as you stared up at the cavern walls. 

"That's kind of how they always are, but that's fine, isn't it?" You say. You're still holding the baguette you made in Snowdin. "We took a detour through the wishing room. I really like how these seem like stars."

"You into space, kiddo?"

"There's something comforting about looking up and seeing something. It helps me fall asleep." You nod. "And the echo flowers are really nice, too."

"THEY KEEP LEAVING MESSAGES FOR FRISK, AMONG OTHER THINGS TO THOSE FLOWERS. I'VE NEVER SEEN A HUMAN SO ENTRANCED WITH FLOWERS."

"Says the skeleton who wished for eight legs, so they could wear four pairs of hotpants."

"THEY ACCENTUATE MY DASHING GOOD FIGURE!!" Papyrus huffed, placing his hands on his hips with his usual toothy grin. "ANYWAY, SANS, DO YOU WANT TO GO WITH US TO UNDYNE'S HOUSE? IT'LL BE LOTS OF FUN!"

"nah, i'm content with being a sentry, bro."

"AND A HOTDOG SALESMAN. YOU NEED TO AIM HIGHER, SANS! YOU COULD HAVE ONE REALLY BIG JOB INSTEAD OF SIX LESS IMPORTANT JOBS!!" Papyrus shouted, as he put his hands on Sans's shoulders. "JUST THINK, IF YOU STOPPED BEING A LAZYBONES AND ASPIRED TO BE A PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD, YOU AND I WOULD BE ABLE TO DO MORE THINGS TOGETHER!! YOU WOULD THROW THE CONFETTI AND FLOWERS IN MY WAKE AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD MAKE MY DYNAMIC ENTRY AND APPREHEND OTHERS! WE COULD EVEN MAKE... COMBO ATTACKS!!!!"

"heh." Sans smiles, just a little genuinely.

In watching all of this, you tilt your head and address the two of them.

"You two are really close, aren't you?" You ask. The two of them share a look.

"OF COURSE WE ARE. EVEN IF SANS IS A LAZYBONES."

"or if pap can be a numbskull at times."

"I'M NOT A NUMBSKULL! I'M THE SMARTEST SKELETON I KNOW!"

"yeah, if you're the brains of the operation, i must be the good looks."

"I--" Papyrus started in dismay, but no other words came out. As seconds ticked by, his expression became more perplexed, much to Sans's amusement. "WHAT???"

You laugh at their antics, just as a figure looms over you.

"UNDYNE! HELLO!!" Papyrus waves.

"Well, well, WELL." You hear a voice belong to that of a woman from behind you. As you turn, you see a blue fish-woman with a red ponytail dressed in casual attire. Her gills are flared, as she stares down at you with a look of contempt. "On some level, I feel like I should have expected you to befriend the human INSTEAD OF CAPTURING THEM LIKE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO, PAPYRUS!!"

Rather than making a grab for you, she lets out a "NGAHHH!" as she reaches for Papyrus and suplexes him to the ground. His bones rattled as he let out a variation of his signature laugh.

"UNDYNE, NOOOO!!!! I BROUGHT THE HUMAN TO YOU SO WE COULD ALL BE FRIENDS!! THAT WAS THE POINT! NOT SUPLEXES!"

"The only point left in this conversation will be the human AT THE END OF MY SPEAR!" She bellowed, dropping Papyrus to the floor. Sans pat his head comfortingly as she pointed to you. "I had a speech set up, Papyrus! THE WIND WAS GONNA HOWL, AND THE HUMAN AND I WERE GOING TO HAVE A STAGE BEFITTING OF THEIR AMAZING HUMAN HISTORY!!"

You stare with baguette in your arms as she materialized a barrage of spears. You stumble and move as the bullets fly, at worst grazing you because of your clumsy movements. What Sans said to you before still comes to mind as she guffaws and grins menacingly when you turn and run towards her, armed with your trusty loaf of bread.

"THAT'S IT, HUMAN!" She yelled, meeting you halfway with spear poised. "Face me head on!! FIGHT ME!!"

"NO HUMAN, DON'T! DON'T HURT UNDYNE!"

"Shut up, Papyrus! This is part of the job description of being in the royal guard!" She said, charging while swinging her spear. "NGAHHHHHH!!!"

You parry her with your baguette, and slide between her legs. Frisk wouldn't forgive you if you hurt her. With that in mind, as she swings again, and for a third time, you keep out of her reach and run to the next room.

"WHAT!??!? Get back here, you COWARD!" Undyne shouted as she stomped after you. 

Now alone, Sans helped Papyrus to his feet.

His immediate response was a saddened whimper of a "Nyoo hoo hoo."

"welp." Sans said, as he watched Undyne's retreating figure. "looks like undyne struck out."

"SANS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU'RE REFERENCING BUT I CAN TELL THAT'S A BAD PUN."

"hey, aren't you glad that they're safe?"

Papyrus groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kind of short for my standards, but don't worry. Thing's will get better. I've actually been using my phone to type up this update, so I apologize for any errors.


	8. Umbrella Solidarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now, our hero...

Frisk walks through the sea of grass alone. Undyne is nowhere to be found, and neither are you.

They wonder if things have gone wrong.

They're filled with Determination. 

 

* * *

 

 As Frisk passes by, things are a lot more jagged than they remember.

Echo Flowers along the path whisper to them in your voice.

They're filled with Determination.

 

* * *

 

 They see a lone telescope and find a note left by Papyrus about what happened with you and Undyne, and how he convinced Sans to not take his shortcut and to come with him.

Knowing that Papyrus was able to motivate Sans to action...

They're filled with Determination. 

 

* * *

 

The Music Box puzzle was skipped over. They take a moment to solve it and listen to the melody.

The soothing strains that fill the air comfort them if only briefly. There's still a ways to go.

They're filled with Determination.

 

* * *

 

Frisk clears the gap with Monster Kid's help. He realizes that they must really want to see Undyne fight.

Knowing that the Monster Kid chooses to help them pursue after Undyne and you,

They're filled with Determination.

 

* * *

 

The golden flowers that bloom at the garbage dump are thriving, despite the dismal conditions.

Knowing that they will continue to bloom in spite of everything...

They're filled with Determination.

 

* * *

 

The wind is howling, but you're nowhere to be found. Uncertainty grips Frisk like a hand on a handle of a knife.

That is, until they see another note from Papyrus explaining to them that everyone went to Undyne's house.

They know what they have to do.

Determination.

 

* * *

 

By the time Frisk got there, Undyne’s house was already in flames and partly in shambles. Her grand piano had been thrown and as a result, there was a huge gaping hole in the front of her house. Both windows had been broken, as evidenced by the shattered glass.

Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and you are watching it burn. The first of the four noticed Frisk easily, as he was the one standing furthest away from the fire.

"so you finally made it." Sans said. "as you can see, they really brought the house down."

"AND BY THAT, WE ACCIDENTALLY SET IT ON FIRE." Papyrus supplied helpfully.

"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MAKING TOAST! Fuhuhu!" Undyne guffaws. As she turns on her heel, she takes note of Frisk's presence. "Oh, great. ANOTHER ONE?! Are you gonna try hugging it out with me like this kid did?"

You blink as you finally take notice of them, and run over to give them a hug. "Frisk! It took you forever to catch up."

"Ugh," She rolled her eyes. "So sappy."

"YOU SAY THAT UNDYNE... BUT EVEN YOU WERE MOVED BY THE FRIENDSHIP SPEECH THAT PAPYRUS'S FRIEND MADE." Papyrus said, looking to the side. Undyne flushed out of embarrassment, clenching her fists with a forced smile. Sans simply looked amused, like he always did.

"It was just like in anime." She muttered. "Only instead of a giant sword, they did it while pointing a soggy loaf of bread at me. HOW UNCOOL DOES THAT GET!??" Undyne yelled as she put you into an affectionate headlock and gave you a noogie. After a moment of taking a kick out of your whining, she paused, and narrowed her eyes at Frisk. "... Have we met before?"

Frisk blinked, and pointed to themselves.

"Yeah, you." She looked perplexed as she released her grip on you, and stared. "Frisk, was it? We were already friends before? I get the feeling I KNOW you... But I don't know from where." Undyne let out a 'hmph', as she rested her hand on her waist, all while staring at Frisk rather judgmentally. "Well, whatever. You missed out on all the fun because you took your sweet time getting here. I'm not in the mood to beat up human children anymore, either."

Frisk simply shrugged.

"Two of you though, huh..." She looked torn about something as her gaze darted between you and Frisk. Ultimately, she let out a frustrated groan, and forced herself to smile as she put Papyrus into a headlock. "So, since my house is on fire and I've got nowhere to go, guess where I'm gonna stay, Papyrus!? YOUR COUCH!"

"WOWIE, IT'LL BE LIKE HAVING ANOTHER ROOMMATE!" He said with glee. "WE CAN MAKE SPAGHETTI ALL DAY AND WATCH MTT. OR... WE CAN EVEN MAKE PUZZLES TOGETHER!!"

"NO!!! I HATE PUZZLES!" Undyne shouted. 

"WHAT ABOUT COMBINATION ATTACKS?"

"THAT'S... not half bad of an idea, Papyrus."

As the two of them went back and forth between each other, Sans sauntered over to you and Frisk. With his typical tone, he began. "so, what'll you do now? gonna mosey over to Hotland?"

"That's the next place to go, right?" You asked.

"YES. IF YOU KEEP GOING RIGHT, YOU'LL ALSO EVENTUALLY MAKE IT TO KING FLUFFYBUNS." Papyrus said cheerfully, despite having been german suplexed into the ground. Undyne dropped him at that moment, and brushed herself off.

"If you're going to Hotland, I've got a request." She said with a smile. "I want you to make a detour to give the Royal Scientist something for me... after I write it, anyway. Are you ready to backtrack?!"

"Why?" You asked, with a quizzical expression.

"Because my letter BURNED TO ASH ONCE MY HOUSE CAUGHT FIRE!!" Undyne's expression became scary again, briefly. However, she toned it down after the next couple of seconds. "I don't have anything to write with or ON, for that matter. So back to Papyrus's house we go!"

"heh. that sounds fun and all but i think i'll just take a shortcut back to my post."

"SO YOU CAN NAP? SANS, IT'S TOO LATE. YOU'RE ALREADY HERE." Papyrus said as he picked up Sans, and tucked him under his arm.

"papyrus, what."

"YOU COMMITTED! SO NOW YOU HAVE TO COME WITH US BACK TO SNOWDIN! AND BEING THE GOOD BROTHER I AM, I HAVE ELECTED TO CARRY YOU!!"

"... welp. fine." Sans sighed, as Papyrus began to walk forward. Undyne too, ran ahead of him.

Instead of running at full speed ahead like you would have normally done, you held out a hand to Frisk. There's a slight moment of awkwardness before they accept it, and begin walking along with you. Due to their strides being longer, it's not too long until Papyrus and Undyne outspeed you and Frisk's leisurely stroll through the Garbage Dump. Sans awaited you both to take you through a shortcut-- and inexplicably, the three of you were back in the raining cavern, where Papyrus stood with an umbrella. Undyne seemed fine without one. Once you waved from the ledge, Undyne leapt up, grabbed you and Frisk, and jumped back down with the two of you in two and dropping you both without so much of a second thought. She then began walking along, as Sans walked over to Papyrus with his hood up. When did he make it down the ledge?

The two brothers exchanged words, and went off, sharing a single umbrella between the two of them. In turn, you dug through the can to get an umbrella for yourself and Frisk, and shielded them primarily from the rain. A warm feeling spread through your chest as you walked alongside them, and watched Undyne leap into a puddle to get Papyrus wet.

 

* * *

 

"Everyone in the underground is nice, aren't they?" You asked, glancing to Frisk.

They nodded.

"You know..." You start, a light skip in your step. "I'm really happy we're making so many friends. You know what I mean?"

They didn't answer, but that was something you were kind of used to.

"I'm really glad I could be here... even though at times, it feels really strange."

They nodded again.

Without warning, Frisk tripped on one of the rocks. You caught them as they bumped into you.

“Are you okay?” You start to ask. "The ground is kind of slippery, isn't it?"

You felt a sharp pain in your stomach as they began to pull away.

You blinked and placed a hand on your chest.

It was wet.

Likely from the rain.

After all, they had slipped and gotten wet themselves, right?

You stared at Frisk as something come over you.

You hacked and coughed, covering your mouth.

As you pulled your hand away, your jaw hung loosely.

The taste of iron was on your tongue.

Your hand was smeared with red.

It was blood.

“…F-Frisk?” You stammered uncomprehendingly at their figure. 

They didn’t answer. 

Under the dim light of the cavern, they look at you as if you're beneath them.

As if you're garbage not worth talking to.

You're filled with fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine whenever an author introduces a character that's not quite meant to be in this story, someone gets upset. Of course, you would expect them to be the most determined of them all. After all. "You" have been befriending and taking place of all the things they were supposed to experience. 
> 
> Here we go.


	9. The Ninth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> True colors are revealed.

As you slumped to the floor, Papyrus stared shouted your name as he dropped his umbrella. Sans gaped. Undyne was the first to react. She threw a spear at the knife-wielding child you called your friend. With a surprising amount of expertise on their part, Frisk dodged, completely unscathed.

“FRISK!” Undyne yelled, a scowl present on her face as she brandished another spear. “You’ve got some explaining to do, AND YOU BETTER DO IT QUICK.”

“DETERMINATION." Frisk said, clenching their hand, and releasing it.

“THAT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE EXPLAINING, YOU LITTLE TWERP!” Undyne grit her teeth as she launched another assault of spears. Once again, Frisk dodged with expertise, moving away from you in the process. “Where did a brat like you get their hands on a KNIFE?”

“You should ask Sans, Undyne." They said. "It seems like he already figured it out.”

Undyne only glanced at Sans briefly. She knew better than to take her eyes off of someone so dangerous. Despite the fact that Frisk’s LV was so low… The way Frisk could talk about all of this with a straight face without wavering was unnerving and disconcerting. The murderous intent stifled the very air around them, even if it wasn't directed at them in particular. Regardless, Sans himself had broken into a cold sweat.

“they must’ve taken one from my house after i took a shortcut here.” Sans’s grin was one of chagrin. “they knew i’d get here before them and took advantage of that. damn kid.”

"Is that the reason they took so long?" Undyne tsked. "I didn't think too much of it because we only needed ONE human soul. But this..."

You weren’t hit by her magic, but you could feel your soul breaking in two, especially at seeing Papyrus sprint over and cradle you. He looked like he was at a loss, the same as time before he accidentally set off the gauntlet of deadly terror.

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND.” Papyrus shook his head. “SANS, WHAT IS THIS RED SUBSTANCE? THERE’S SO MUCH OF IT… I-IT’S JUST KETCHUP, ISN’T IT?”

“papyrus…” Sans started, but he faltered.

“OHHHH, I SEE!! YOU WERE IN ON THIS SANS? I GET IT! YOU BOTH THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO JAPE ME!” He was trying to laugh, but it was plain to see. He was shaking his head in vehement denial and trembling. “NYEH, HEH.” He cackled halfheartedly. “YOU GOT ME, SO PLEASE DON’T SCARE ME ANYMORE. IF THIS IS A PRANK, YOU’RE TAKING IT TOO FAR. FUNNY, EVERYONE WAS IN ON THE JOKE BUT PAPYRUS! NYEH, HEH... H-HEH...”

You shook in his arms. But then again… you weren’t sure if that was you, or whether it was Papyrus.

It hurt.

You didn’t know it was possible to feel this much agony.

“S-SANS, I DON’T—SANS, WHAT DO I DO?” Papyrus panicked, bloated tears falling from his oh-so expressive eye sockets. Even Sans was at a loss at what to say to his brother. Deep down, on some level, he knew that you were beyond saving. Papyrus shook his head, tears cascading, and unheard as they were drowned out by the sound of the downpour of rain.

You thought you could hear the tinkling of a music box, from far away.

“I WANT TO HELP YOU.” Papyrus sobbed, pleading as your heart slowed to a stop. “I WANT TO SAVE YOU, SO PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I DON’T WANT TO LOSE A FRIEND!”

The taller skeleton didn’t realize that human bodies didn’t dissolve to dust, nor did he know that they bled. His armor was stained. He looked uncomprehendingly at you as you closed your eyes for the last time, and became motionless. Your soul flickered, but remained in his skeletal hands.

“Papyrus. Get a grip on yourself.” Undyne spat, but even her expression was downcast. “That human is…”

" _Dead_.” Frisk tilted their head. Papyrus shuddered, and stared at your corpse. “It’s over now. The phases of the soul.” They continued. “Orange was just a prelude. It always comes back to red. And so, it falls on me. The hero of this story...  **me**.  **I'm**  supposed to be the one changing your lives. Not  _you_. There was never supposed to be a  _ninth_."

“kid. what the hell are you talking about?” Sans stared coldly.

"You know. It was really hard to do it. Because they're invincible when they move." Frisk’s  voice was stilted. The knife in their hand dripped with that foreign red substance, in spite of the lack of light within the caverns. The star-like gems glittered from above, as if this event were predetermined, albeit despite being imitations of the real thing, as a sickly metallic scent permeated the air. "So I brought them here. And then I did it. I stabbed them.”

“BUT WHY?” Papyrus choked out. He was still holding onto you. “ **WHY**  WOULD YOU KILL ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS?”

“Because they’re not supposed to be here. This is  **my**  story.” Frisk said. “Aren’t you happy now, Papyrus? And you too, Undyne? Now you can go to the surface with the last human soul. That's what you were thinking of before, isn't it, Undyne?”

Undyne continued to scowl, wary of the knife in Frisk’s hand. Sans too, stood at Undyne’s side. His hands remained in his pockets, but he stood protectively between Frisk and his brother.

“BUT I— I-I DIDN’T WANT THINGS TO BE LIKE THIS!” Papyrus wailed.

"Then I'll make things the way they're supposed to be." The human child said.

"And just how low are you going to get for that purpose?" Undyne demanded, as she pointed her spear at them.

"Don't be like that, Undyne. You were planning on killing one of us to start with for the freedom of all monsters. Why are you angry?"

"In case if you didn't notice, you just stepped over a line you shouldn't have, YOU LITTLE SHIT." Undyne's voice was practically dripping venom. 

“Why are you acting this way?” Frisk asked, with a genuinely puzzled tone. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Friends!? Friends don’t kill FRIENDS!” Undyne laughed loudly, a sneer on her face as she pointed a spear at the human child. "I was right about you being my friend at some point before. But you know what else I was right about that I didn't want to say before? THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE A BAD PERSON WHO JUST MANIPULATES PEOPLE INTO LIKING YOU."

Frisk simply stared.

Sans spoke up.

"... i have a question for you."

"Is it going to be about whether even the worst person can change?" Frisk's tone was languid. "I'm proof of that."

" **THEN WHY DID YOU BRING US BACK UNDERGROUND?** " Sans' pupils were completely gone. Only the harrowing blackness of his eye sockets was left, as his tone became threatening. 

"I've saved this world before. And just now, I’ve done it again. Their Soul is still there, even if their body is an empty shell now. That’s how humans work." Frisk explained. “All you have to do is take it to Asgore, and then you’ll all be free.”

Undyne looked insulted and betrayed. Sans sighed, and stepped forward.

"Kid. Let's be real. If you really cared about us, you would have given us our happy ending a long time ago.” Sans let out a disgusted chuckle as he closed his eyes.  “What you’re doing here?  **You’re playing God**. I'd say you're  **bad**  to the bone, but it would be an insult to the pun to use it on a kid like you. And kids like  **Y O U** …"

“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard something like that from you, Sans.” Frisk tilted their head, interrupting his spiel with an innocent expression. Sans flinched, but stood his ground. “Any other questions before I reset?”

“Reset?” Undyne parroted with a perplexed tone. “What the heck are you talking about, shrimp?! All these terms you keep using… You keep talking as if you’ve seen this all a million times. Soul Phases? DETERMINATION? I’ll—“

“— _show you how determined monsters can be_.’ Is that what you were going to say?” Frisk said. Undyne let out a frustrated growl as she imposed Green over Frisk and chucked another spear volley. They blocked all of them.

“UGH! You’re so ANNOYING!” Undyne screeched.

Sans stepped forward again.

“Undyne.” He said. His tone was serious and grim, to the point where even his perpetual smile seemed threatening.

“What, Sans?” She said, narrowing her eyes.

“Get Papyrus out of here. **Now**.”

The Head of the Royal Guard was keen enough to perceive that that wasn’t a request. And normally, while she had a strict policy with not complying with demands, she wasn’t going to argue.

“C’mon, Papyrus!” She yelled.

The taller skeleton remained motionless. He had set your body down, but your soul was still pulsating in his hands. He was in a state of shock. Undyne grabbed him by the shoulder, and forcibly yanked him to his feet.

“PAPYRUS, this is your CAPTAIN speaking!” He turned to look at her, but tears were still falling from his sockets. She tugged him again. “MOVE!!”

It seemed as if it took Papyrus a Herculean effort to carry his own weight, and the orange soul in his hands. Undyne helped him.

With both of their backs turned and their footfalls being the telltale of their escape, Sans did not hesitate to a slam Frisk back to the furthest wall. Echo flowers began to wilt, and stones chipped and fell from the cavern ceiling due to the sheer amount of pressure the skeleton was exuding.

“I’m surprised you’re doing this when I haven’t killed your brother.” Frisk uttered. Sans tensed and slammed them into a wall set with starry stones, express laning them by dragging their small frame against it. As Frisk felt their back impact against it, a little more than just a few gemstones dug into them. “I haven’t hurt any monsters this time.”

“ **BUT YOU KILLED ONE OF YOUR OWN**.” Sans responded threateningly. “That, kid, tells me a LOT about what kind of person you are. And shit. “ **THIS TIME** ”, you say? How many times have you played with our lives like this?”

Frisk didn’t answer. However, their expression told it all.

Sans felt beads of sweat form on his skull as his eye began to burn.

“You’re kind of a freak, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“All that talk of resetting, though. Kid, do you seriously think you’re above consequences?” Sans dragged them across the cavern wall, before throwing them into a cluster of echo flowers. “That when things don’t go the way you want them to, you can just undo everything?”

“Blue Phase." Frisk stood up and shoved a cinnamon bunny into their mouth. Their HP was maxed out. "You were always better than Papyrus at it. But you know?" They said cooly. "This is like the hard mode I’ve always wanted. And all I had to do was kill another human.”

“Seriously. What the hell do you keep rattling about?”

"I'll humor you since you won't remember anyway after I reset. This is all just a game." Frisk went on.

Sans flinched A trio of Gaster Blasters materialized into being as the skeleton's eye socket lit up. "If this is all just a game to you, **prepare to get dunked on**."

Frisk smiled.

"The Color of a Soul. There are seven main colors based on the human magicians who sealed the underground. Each is characterized by a 'magic' stemming from DETERMINATION."  Frisk waved their hand nonchalantly, reciting as if they'd spoken of this before. "You monsters are familiar with soul phases through the form of magic, even if your souls at best remain a fragile, unstained white. It's because your bodies can't handle it, but your resolve is admirable. That's why you can only do things temporarily. Too much and it wears you out, right?"

The blasters fired. Frisk dodged it all without so much as batting an eye, at worst being grazed. Sans refused to move back, however. Instead, he disregarded the child's spiel, and slammed them into the wall again as beads of sweat fell from his scalp, express laning them into a bed of bones.

They stood up and ate a Nice Cream.

"Do you know what traits those are, Sans?" They asked, as Sans pinned them to the ceiling and caught them with a blue attack. "Of those Seven Humans?"

The look in Frisk's eyes was maddening. They hadn't attacked him, and yet-- why wouldn't they stop? Why wouldn't they go down? Their LOVE was abysmally low, and yet they kept standing up.

Frisk smiled as their turn came. They spoke.

"Integrity for the individual who has principles they've never gone back on." 

"Kindness for someone who always thinks of others despite their behavior."

"Justice for the person who had only the best interests of everyone in mind."

"Bravery for the fool who smiles and believes in the goodness of everyone."

"Perseverance for the soul who endures and fights for what they believe in."

"Patience for the one who waits for the right moment to make a difference."

" **And for the strongest of them all:** " Frisk said, as they drew their knife. " **DETERMINATION**."


	10. Red Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are many interpretations, but...

It was just like in all of those nightmares Sans had before. Only, instead of a human covered in dust, their sweater was covered in the blood of  _another_ human, no less.This, too, had to be a nightmare. If the old lady behind the door found out about what had transpired here, she would have never forgiven him. Regardless of how many times he slammed them into the ground or let the Gaster Blasters loose, the kid never seemed to go down. It was inhuman. The strength of that determination would have melt any monster it contaminated, if such a thing were possible.

He honestly didn't want to find out.

Sans blinked. Their LV... of course it had raised. It had skipped from 1 to 5, would be more accurate to say. Having taken just _one_ human life. The highest he'd ever seen it in his nightmares was an astonishing 20, and that was the result of annihilating everything in the underground.

Were the lives of Monsters really that miniscule by comparison to a human's?

Sans dodged.

But even with that in mind, Frisk were still being afflicted with KR to a moderate degree-- not as extensively like they had been in Sans's nightmares, but it was just enough to keep the pressure on. It was insane. The kid already seemed to know all his moves, every possible trump card that he could have pulled to even the playing field.

"You know. I'm sure even you have a good idea of what will happen if you kill me." They said, as they tried to cut at him with the kitchen knife. He merely sidestepped away and pushed Frisk back to the end of the cavern, throwing them against the walls with abandon. 

"That the nice lady that made me promise to protect you is going to be completely and utterly disappointed in you when she finds out that you killed your own friend?" Sans said, dropping them roughly onto the ground into a bed of Echo Flowers.

"I'm sure she'll understand." Frisk murmured, as they stood up yet AGAIN, much to Sans's aggravation. KR could lower their health to the bare minimum, but it wouldn't do any good if he could land the finishing blow. "But you know--"

They broke out into a run, charging and attempting to swipe with the knife. He jumped back and sent a volley of blue and white bones at them, imposing blue as they were forced to make distance by evading his attacks.

Even as Sans continuously tried to keep the kid on their toes, they simply charged at him again.

"You've always been pretty good at dodging questions, haven't you?" Frisk questioned. Sans backed away and tripped the kid with a femur that shot up from the ground. As they faceplanted into the ground, they lifted their head up and wiped away the blood from their nose. "That's why you're holding back. You know that if you kill me, either I'll just come back by reloading a SAVE, or everything will just come to an end with RESETTING. But you think that's time-traveling, isn't it?"

Sans swore under his breath as he loosed the Gaster Blasters again, his eye burning as sweat dripped from his scalp. Frisk dodged, at worst being clipped.

"You know, Flowey was right about you being the better part of all his resets."

"I'm flattered." He didn't mean that in the slightest. He didn't know who the hell 'Flowey' was, but at this moment, he didn't care to ask.

Frisk waved the knife around lazily.

"I'm sure you're worried on what will happen when I die. That'll you'll see your brother have to cry over again over the incessant passing of that person. That things will reset from square one. Isn't the mystery of it all fun, Sans?" Frisk wore a smile on their face. It was unnerving-- was the kid insane? Sans held his ground as the kid charged again. That smile twisted, and became something much more malevolent. "Maybe I'll even kill you first, next time. **Right in front of Papyrus**."

Sans was shaken.

He swallowed hard as the blue flare in his eye wavered.

It was already hell for him watching his family die, and all of his friends follow after. It was a nightmare having to wait at that final corridor each time, to fight for his life while being wholly aware that this child was determined to never stop. Even if the end goal was complete and utter genocide. He wondered, in those rare and fleeting good dreams where everyone made it underground... where had that kid, gone? Between staying with the old lady Sans could only dream of meeting and saying they had places to go, just what did that entail?

Sans shook his head.

The kid had run out of items a long time ago.

What the hell was happening?

Who was he fighting right now?

Was what he was fighting was no longer human?

Was it just an amalgamation of pure determination stuck into a human body?

He was terrified.

In short, as the knife came, he made the mistake of stepping back, instead of stepping to the side.

He lost his footing, and began to fall back.

He felt his breath leave him as he saw the knife. 

Frisk lunged.

They were smiling.

" **I got you**."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I THINK NOT."

In an instant, arrayment of blue bones of various sizes exploded from the ground, creating a protective barrier around Sans. Frisk reacted promptly by skidding to a stop in the bone fence, holding their breath as they stopped moving. Without so much of a warning, an orange femur swung just over Sans's head, crashing into Frisk's right shoulder. The impact sent them hurtling into a wall, creating cracks in the rock formation.

Sans stared from where he had fallen. 

And he thought  _he_ was pretty flashy.

"ah... heh." Sans wheezed, relief coming over him as he saw a familiar gloved hand being held to him. He took it instantly. "you couldn't have cut that any closer, could you, bro?" 

"YOU KNOW HOW IT IS, SANS." Papyrus said, swinging the femur over his shoulder, an ever confident grin on his face as he helped his brother to his feet.

"i dunno, you're usually the punctual one. how'd you get here when Undyne carried you off?"

Papyrus shifts briefly.

"I HAVE ELECTED TO DISOBEY THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD. IN SHORT, I LIKELY DON'T HAVE A PLACE THERE ANYMORE." He says smoothly, despite his usual loudness. "A TRAGEDY FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NYEH HEH HEH."

"no way. you're joking. why else would you be laughing?" Sans relaxed, as he put his hands back into his pockets, closing his eye briefly before allowing that pale blue fire to encompass his pupil again. "mind telling me the punchline for once, papyrus?"

"OH, THIS IS NO JOKE, SANS. JOINING THE ROYAL GUARD HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM OF MINE, BUT FAMILY ALWAYS COMES FIRST. AND DIDN'T ANYONE EVER TELL YOU?"

"nah. enlighten me."

Papyrus laughed again. 

His right eye socket burned orange, as the two brothers turned to their opponent. 

"A **HERO** ALWAYS HAS PERFECT TIMING."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bravery lives on.


	11. The Questions Everyone Wants to Ask

Papyrus stood boldly at his brother's side. Once again, like the time before, an orange corona had manifested within his right eye socket, burning with the same intensity as Sans's blue one.

"YOU KNOW, SANS, EVEN WHEN I WAS A BABYBONES, I DON'T RECALL EVER SEEING YOU FIGHT BECAUSE YOU WERE SO FRAGILE AND LAZY. YOU'VE NEVER COME WITH ME FOR TRAINING, BUT YOU STAYED BEHIND TO FIGHT THE HUMAN, REGARDLESS. THAT'S WHY I CAME BACK. SACRIFICES ARE NOT ALLOWED BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS." He said, as he materialized another femur. "SO, INSTEAD, WE WILL DEFEAT THIS HUMAN TOGETHER."

"ah, heh. you just couldn't let me be cool for once, could you?" Sans shrugged, with a vaguely exasperated expression. However, he made no attempt to shoo Papyrus or argue with him. After all; Sans knew better than anyone that he was out of his league fighting against... whatever this human was. "i guess this'll be the first time we're both gonna cut loose, huh? though, don't be too surprised."

"WHY IS THAT?"

"Since this is the first time you'll be seeing me take my job seriously." Sans stretched, seemingly getting a crick out of his neck as his tone became serious. He looked at his brother thoughtfully. He really couldn't afford to lose, if it meant Papyrus would get hurt as a result of it. "Real talk here. Because you're stronger than I am... I'll be counting on you to keep with with defense. Think you can handle that?"

"THERE IS NOTHING THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CANNOT HANDLE." Papyrus grinned. "I AM THE HERO, AFTER ALL."

"if that's the case, i don't mind being second fiddle." Sans winked. With Papyrus standing beside him... right now, Sans felt better than he had in ages.

His feet no longer felt as if they were being weighted with lead. Like he's no longer burdened with the nightmares where he was the second to last monster in the underground. With his brother-- with Papyrus's infectious enthusiasm, he feels a need to try. Not out of obligation, but because his desire for hope has been rekindled. Deep down, as his brother... even he wanted Papyrus to be impressed. Nevermind what would come next. Right now... this was a battle the two couldn't afford to lose.

With his brother at his side, he couldn't lose.

They _wouldn't_ lose.

" **What a joke**."

The brothers turned.

"Hero? You?" There was a rumble as Frisk got to their feet. Despite the bruises that now marred their skin, a sickly, blood red aura was emanating from their soul. It pulsated erratically and frenetically as if it were displaying Frisk's true reaction, as the pebbles and stones by Frisk's feet trembled. "Don't make **me** laugh. **I** already told you. **I'm** the hero of this story."

"THAT'S RATHER EGOTISTICAL OF YOU, HUMAN. I THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER THAN THAT." Papyrus looked at Frisk with a disappointed expression. Sans himself had been chided and scolded by his brother on many accounts, but it was the first time he'd outright seen him  _disappointed_ in someone. It was here, Sans reaffirmed he didn't ever want Papyrus to look at him that way. "DEEP DOWN, A PART OF ME STILL WANTS YOU TO BECOME THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU CAN BE GOOD IF YOU TRY. BUT, I'VE REALIZED SOMETHING. YOU AREN'T TRYING TO BE A GOOD PERSON. WHAT YOU WANT IS COMING AT THE COST OF OTHER PEOPLE, AND THAT'S WRONG, HUMAN. I CANNOT ALLOW THAT. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO HURT OTHERS, AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO HURT MY BROTHER."

"I have to ask, Papyrus. Why the change in heart, considering you ran away while crying like a baby?"

"BECAUSE THERE ARE THINGS I WANT TO PROTECT." He responded brazenly, pointing an orange femur at Frisk. "IF WE'RE REALLY FRIENDS... IF I TURNED AWAY AND AVERTED MY EYES NOW... WHAT WOULD MY WORTHY ADVERSARY-- WHAT WOULD _CAM_ THINK OF ME?"

"Running was the only thing they were good at." Frisk said.

"I DISAGREE." The skeleton shook his head. "RUNNING IS THE ONLY THING YOU ARE GOOD AT."

Frisk snarled and began their relentless charge anew. Immediately, a wall of blue attacks sprouted from the ground in the form of a wall of bones. As Frisk ran through the attack, they staggered and fell to their knees as they fell the familiar weight of blue infect their red soul. After the first wave of blue, they began leaping and jumping over the volleys, clearing the distance between the two brothers.

"SANS!"

"I'm on it." 

Sans's iris flared. As Frisk leapt up again, the biggest Gaster Blaster they had seen descended and flew forward. As it opened its maw and loosed a beam of immeasurable size,-- even moving backwards because of the recoil from the sheer force. The cacophony of its roar was ear-piercing in the echoing chambers of the waterfall. Frisk flew backwards again into a patch of Echo Flowers, as Papyrus gaped. Frisk seemed to stop, for just a moment.

"SINCE WHEN COULD YOU DO THAT??"

"don't forget, bro." Sans said, dismissing the blaster. He kept his eyes on the child as he addressed his brother, but winked regardless. "i'm the one who taught you how to use blue attacks. you've gotta give me credit for that, at least."

"WOWIE, IT LOOKS LIKE I'VE STILL GOT A LOT TO LEARN!" Papyrus grinned.

The taller skeleton stopped a moment afterward as Frisk began to charge again, knife in hand. With an orange femur in his right hand, Papyrus ran forward to meet them halfway despite Sans's protest. Rather than dodging as Sans did, Papyrus began parrying the human's strikes with a surprising amount of expertise. Sans was on guard, ready to intervene at any point in time if his brother faltered, but if anything was apparent, it was that Papyrus's natural talent was astounding.

Even from this perspective of the battle, Sans could see that Papyrus wasn't deliberately trying to harm the human, but continued to meet their strikes head on by blocking them with the orange femur. But the look on Papyrus's face... despite being a skeleton, his brother lacked any semblance of a poker face.

What was his brother up to?

Sans stood cautiously, hand glowing at the ready in the event he had to pull Papyrus back.

"Why is it always you two that constantly surprise me?" Frisk asked, as they slashed and lunged wildly. Papyrus continued to head off their every strike. "Sans with his Dodging, and now you and your ability to use orange. That's never happened before. Not even Undyne dodges or blocks my attacks, though her ability to be DETERMINED was interesting. It's always **YOU TWO** throwing curveballs, though."

"NYEH HEH HEH! I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS, WHETHER IN FIGHTING OR TOWARDS MY EXPECTATIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE!" Papyrus said, materializing a second, blue femur in his left hand and smashing it down against Frisk's knife as they attempted to lunge.

The impact cause the child to falter and lose their grip on the weapon, causing it to fall out of their hand and slide away on the damp cavern. Sans immediately took initiative and summoned a wall of bones to encircle and cage the knife before Frisk could even move to get it. 

Frisk glared daggers at Sans, but in turn, they started glowering as Papyrus pointed the orange femur at them, much like how one would point a sword.

"THE FACT THAT YOU THINK SO LITTLE OF EVERYONE AROUND YOU..." He started. "IT'S ESPECIALLY STRANGE! YOU ACT LIKE YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING BEFORE!"

"Like I said. It's all just a game." Frisk stared, as they got to their feet.

They were beaten up pretty badly; normally, magic only damaged the state of the soul, but with Sans's repeated throwing and Papyrus's opening strike, where their sweater was torn in several places, one could easily see that they were bleeding. Their right arm hung loosely from where Papyrus had struck them; Sans noted, that it was possibly dislocated. Frisk was beaten and worse for wear, but they stood defiantly in front of Papyrus, with their left hand balled.

"It's all just a game." They mumbled, as if it were a mantra. "And I can do whatever I want."

"WHY WOULD THAT BE, HUMAN?"

"I can kill you all. And I did." Frisk said. "I've smashed your smiling face into pieces before. I bet your brother knows all about that, doesn't he?"

Papyrus refused to take his eyes off of Frisk. Sans, for a moment, faltered again. He couldn't remember it, but he couldn't shake the feeling that such a thing had happened either. After all, in his nightmares, the monster... he could recall calling them a "Dirty Brother Killer." 

Sans trembled from a rage he'd never known until now. The kid was basically confessing to having murdered Papyrus.

"If you do anything to Papyrus," He fumed, the heat growing stronger as his other pupil disappeared. " **I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND--** " 

"SANS." Papyrus said sternly. 

Sans stopped. His mouth hung agape for a moment, before he put his right hand back into its pocket. His left hand hung loosely at his side, but his shoulders were still tense despite everything. His younger brother was facing down a kid who had the potential to be a hypercompetent murderer. Even disarmed, the sheer amount of killing intent the child had was coming off in waves. Sans was afraid for his brother.

Which is why, rather than killing the kid immediately, he caged him in blue bones.

Frisk gasped as they stood still, cupping their soul close to their chest with their left hand as Papyrus finally turned to look at Sans.

"sorry bro, i'm not willing to take chances." Sans shook his head, releasing his held breath before shrugging helplessly. "that kid stays in there, or else i'm not letting you talk to them."

Papyrus stared for a moment. Of all the expressions he expected Sans to have, he never expected that his brother would look at him pleadingly. The taller of the two opened his mouth briefly, but no words came out. He simply nodded.

"FINE."

"thanks for understanding." Relief washed over Sans in an instant, but he didn't completely relax. He watched wordlessly, the blue in his eye extinguishing.

Papyrus's eye, however, continued to burn. Despite the fact Frisk was caged, he continued to hold the femur at sword point.

Frisk began to laugh. There was nothing comedic about the loud, hollow laughter that escaped their lips, as they clutched their soul with their left hand.

"I wonder. Even though I'm supposed to be the hero, you're both treating me like I'm some villain." They said. 

Again, Papyrus looked disappointed.

"What. Say something." Frisk demanded. "Or wait. You don't really know anything, do you? You don't understand anything. That's why you haven't killed me yet."

"I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND." Papyrus said simply. 

"I've been through this world over a hundred times. I honestly don't know how many times it's been. But I've saved this world just as many times as I've ended it. This is all just a game." They laughed again. "I can go back as many times as I want and do whatever I please. If anything doesn't go my way, I can just redo things the way I want."

"WHY ARE YOU SO HUNG UP OVER THE PAST WHEN YOU COULD BE LIVING IN THE FUTURE??" Papyrus asked.

Frisk froze.

"IF... IF YOU KEEP GOING BACK AND REDOING THINGS," He continued. "THAT MUST MEAN YOU'RE UNHAPPY, AREN'T YOU? BEYOND JUST BEING DETERMINED, THERE HAS TO BE A REASON WHY YOU KEEP DOING THIS TO US. TO EVERYONE. HAVING RESOLVE WITH NO REASON IS THE SAME AS GIVING UP AND RESIGNING YOURSELF TO WHAT YOU MUST DO. AND, I KNOW YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT, HUMAN. YOU LAUGHED AT MY BROTHER'S TERRIBLE JOKES-- PROBABLY TO BE NICE TO HIM, BUT YOU CAN'T BE A COMPLETELY AWFUL PERSON."

Frisk trembled.

"WAS IT ALL A LIE?" 

"Stop."

"WAS WHAT UNDYNE SAID ABOUT YOU CORRECT?"

"None of you know anything about me!" They snarled. "Stop!"

"WERE YOU JUST MANIPULATING EVERYONE INTO LIKING YOU?"

" **Shut up**!"

"COULD IT BE... THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY AFRAID?"

" **SHUT UP**!"

Before Papyrus could ask another question, Frisk began to scream, holding their head and shaking it vehemently. The bone cage Sans had made around them melted away in a flash of red, and in an instant, as opposed to pulling Frisk back, Sans pulled Papyrus towards him and away from the sickly red light. With the knife abandoned, the human continued to scream, clutching their bowed head with one hand as they broke into a sprint in the opposite direction.

Frisk had fled.

Papyrus was speechless. As Sans dropped his brother gently on his feet, he heaved a sigh before dismissing the bone cage around the knife. He didn't bother to pick it up-- he simply gave it a shortcut to the garbage abyss in Waterfall, before turning to Papyrus.

"... with injuries like that... the kid couldn't have run that far." He started. Papyrus only nodded blankly in response. "what happened with undyne?"

"SHE'S EVACUATING AND CLOSING OFF WATERFALL." Papyrus finally answered.

"good plan." Sans sighed, as he tugged over his hood. That entire debacle had been exhausting in more reasons than one, but for now... things were okay. Frisk was still on the run, but it was highly improbably they could do anything unarmed and in... that state. But then again, that would have just made them more unpredictable. Regardless... with whatever time he and Papyrus bought for Undyne, he was sure that it would be impossible for Frisk to get out of this easily-- that is, unless they reset. Temmies might have loved humans, but Sans doubted they would allow Frisk asylum of any kind if Undyne found them first.

Sans sighed.

As the rain continued to cascade around them, he could hear the music box play in the distance. The older of the two skeletons blinked when he saw Papyrus move towards where he had left you.

You were lying in a puddle of your own blood, your orange and white sweater cut, stained and drenched despite the fact Papyrus had seemingly left an umbrella to shelter you under. It was a nice gesture, but an ultimately pointless one. You were dead. Where your soul had went... Sans had a sneaking suspicion that Papyrus was still holding onto it, but it didn't matter. He wasn't going to ask or bring it up.

He overheard a small murmur from a nearby echo flower.

Sans had heard it just a while ago in passing, on the first walk to the ravine while he and Papyrus chased after you two, but hadn't cared to properly listen. Despite being in a rush, you must have made it a personal goal of yours to talk to every echo flower you saw, evident from the fact that while he and his brother were passing through, your small nonsensical murmurs showed them where to go. He thought that was surprisingly typical of you, even if he hadn't known you for very long. He wondered if you whispered something decidedly corny into the flower.

As Sans drew slightly closer just to hear the flower, he stopped and listened with a perplexed expression.

> _"I wonder what was behind that gray door?"_


	12. Through the Looking Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But it's no use now," thought poor Alice, "to pretend to be two people! Why, there's hardly enough of me left to make one respectable person!” 
> 
> ― Lewis Carroll, _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass_

Despite having gone through this place a hundred times and more, Frisk seemed hopelessly lost. 

Disoriented, beaten, and partially humiliated, they could only silently curse as they navigated through the Echo Flower fields, each whispering assorting things; some nonsensical jargon they hadn't cared to listen to for the past several resets. It was odd, though. The lights in the cavern stopped glistening. The only thing they could hear was the sound of rain. Or... was it really rain, or was it just a ringing in their ears? Unless the Echo flowers around them suddenly were capable of imitating static, but Frisk found that highly improbable that the flowers could do that.

It was cold. They were hurt. 

At some point, having run over the marsh, they couldn't hear the sound of their own footsteps anymore.

It was dark.

Darker, yet darker.

They didn't remember a place like this in Waterfall.

As they tread over a puddle- the splash was enough to catch them off guard, as they stopped abruptly, and looked down. The shadows cut deeper.

Normally, they wouldn't be so bothered by seeing their own reflection, but what they saw... wasn't them. 

Rather, their reflection didn't have a face at all. Their hair was styled in a similar fashion, but their clothes was in different hues. They had a complete lack of facial features.

That couldn't be them.

Unnerved, Frisk began to run-- or rather, limp faster. Their footsteps were barely audible as they brushed by another Echo Flower.

 

> _Beware of the man who speaks in hands._

 

* * *

 

Papyrus and Sans found Undyne back by Gerson's shop. Despite Sans' protests, Papyrus had picked up your body. He'd carried you through the rain and left you propped by the statue playing the music box. Reluctantly, Sans had to convince Papyrus to leave you be as there was nothing more two of them could have done for you. This didn't appease Papyrus very well, but he agreed with a rather saddened expression. It was a fairly rare thing to see Papyrus depressed about something, but considering what had happened... Sans couldn't blame him.

"you okay, papyrus?" Sans asked with a tentative expression, despite his smile.

"WITH THIS, MY FRIEND QUOTIENT, ONCE AGAIN, IS ZERO." Papyrus mumbled loudly. Sans looked thoughtful for a moment, before patting his brother's shoulder.

"you still have me though, pap."

"BUT WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN KEEPING FROM ME, SANS? ASIDE FROM YOUR SPECIAL-ATTACK-WHICH-I-HAVE-NEVER-SEEN-YOU-USE." 

Sans took a breath, and looked away to the side.

"you wanna know? it's a secret, bro." His grin almost looked sheepish. "i dunno if, uh, i should really tell you."

"I WANT TO KNOW." Papyrus responded deftly, as he folded his arms. "AS YOUR BROTHER, YOU REALLY SHOULD BE TELLING ME THESE THINGS, SANS. DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT I FEEL TOWARDS YOU?"

"'course i do." More than Papyrus would ever realize or know, Sans felt. The shorter skeleton paused. "are you absolutely sure?"

"YES! UNLESS... UNLESS!!" Papyrus gasped. "YOU'VE ACTUALLY BEEN A PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD ALL THIS TIME AND HAVEN'T TOLD ME?!!? SAY IT ISN'T TRUE, SANS!"

"nah." Sans shifted his hands in his pockets. The words tumbled out in their usual, nonchalant manner. "i'm a judge. that's my real job."

Papyrus stared.

"SANS, I KNOW YOU LIKE TO WATCH EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE AROUND YOU, BUT SAYING THAT JUDGING PEOPLE IS YOUR REAL JOB ISN'T VERY NICE. YOU DO THAT JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE!"

"someone's gotta do it, bro." He shrugged, with a wink. More specifically, he did that in the Final Corridor to examine the virtue of a person's character, and whether they were worthy to see the king. But because the King left the castle more often than visitors would arrive, his job more or less was a formality. Ironically, he thought back to what Frisk said; those characteristics they described were pretty much indicators of what Sans was supposed to look for in a person. He shook his head briefly to derail his train of thought, and looked at Papyrus. "who's more fair than I am?"

"YOU GAVE CAM AN UNSOLVABLE PUZZLE JUST A DAY AGO. HOW IS THAT FAIR??" Papyrus said pointedly, before his expression fell again; likely from mentioning the name of the friend he'd only known for a short time. Sans looked away. 

"it was a test of character." Sans responded, looking to the side again with his grin widening ever so slightly. Based on Papyrus's tone and expression, he was at least 99% sure that his brother didn't believe him. 

Welp. He could live with that, either way.

"WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GIVE THEM PUZZLES, NOT TESTS."

Sans shrugged, before taking a hand out of his pocket to pat his brother's shoulder. "c'mon. let's find undyne."

 

* * *

 

With armor donned, she had just exited out of the old hero's shop with a perturbed expression, but grinned when she saw the skeleton brothers approach.

"So you even you made it, Sans. I bet it was because Papyrus saved your bony butt, but that's an aside point for now." She started, before glancing around. "Where's the kid?"

"THEY UNFORTUNATELY GOT AWAY." Papyrus supplied.

"And the other one?"

"papyrus left the body by statue." Sans glanced back. The music box continued to play in the distance. "...there was no saving them."

"... I see. And that kid's soul?" Undyne asked, her eyes narrowing. 

Papyrus stiffened with an anxious expression, but reached and dug into his scarf.

He produced a vivid, peach-orange soul, which floated harmlessly in his right hand. It pulsated slightly, as if it were still living.

"And then there were seven." Undyne said, as she stared tentatively at the soul. She made no motion to grab it, and instead bore a thoughtful expression on her rough features. She sighed, scratching the back of her head with an annoyed expression, as she rested her other hand on her hip. "Even if I told you to take the soul and the kid's body to Asgore, you wouldn't listen, would you, Papyrus? Considering you actually RAN OFF to save Sans after your brother told me to drag you out of there."

"GUILTY AS CHARGED. I'LL... I'LL BRING THE SOUL TO THE KING ALONG WITH A HELPING OF APOLOGY SPAGHETTI ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER." Papyrus shrugged, as he tucked the soul securely into his scarf. Briefly, off to the side, Sans thought about how awkward it would be if Papyrus and Undyne went to the Final Corridor and he had to judge the two of them. Again, however, he was lulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Papyrus's grating voice. "WE STILL HAVE ANOTHER HUMAN TO CATCH."

"Who said anything about CATCHING them? WE CAN'T LET THEM LIVE, YOU IDIOT!" Undyne yelled as she stomped her foot into the ground. A small crater in the impression of her foot was left in the cavern's floor. "It'll be easy since Waterfall's been cleared up." She said with a wary expression. "Since Hotland is in the other direction of your fight, I told the residents to head over to Snowdin instead. The Royal Guard's all assembled and ready for a fight in the event if anything comes that way." Undyne stomped the ground again with a rather malicious smile; her pupils shrank as her voice became threatening. "Waterfall's my turf anyway, so finding that little brat should be a SNAP."

 "uh, about that, undyne."

"What, Sans?" She said rudely-- or rather, in her typical tone.

"have you ever seen a grey door around here?"

"No. Why ask?" Undyne folded her arms with a questioning expression. Sans looked contemplative, much to Undyne's annoyance. "Doors don't suddenly spawn in Waterfall, Sans. Not on MY watch."

"I DIDN'T KNOW YOU OWN A WATCH, UNDYNE."

"I don't own much of ANYTHING since my house burned down." She chortled, before abruptly stopping. She looked to the side tentatively. "So, what are we gonna do? I'm the only one of the Royal Guard stationed around here, and you two are just sentries. Guards 01 and 02 are guarding the entrance to Hotland, and I already told you what's happening with the Dogs. I'm not against letting you two nerds stick around the area because I know you both can hold your own if a fight breaks out, and I FULLY expect YOU to keep your dork of a brother out of trouble." Undyne said with a particularly pointed expression as she glanced between the two skeleton brothers, but especially at Sans. "What'll it be?"

"OF COURSE I WILL ACCOMPANY YOU, UNDYNE!!" Papyrus bellowed, as he made an enthusiastic salute. The way the taller vibrated in place could have easily contested with a Temmie. Sans, by comparison made a halfhearted salute, with his shoulders slightly slack. Undyne rolled her eyes, and unfolded her arms to materialize a spear.

"Now that that's settled, splitting up would cover more ground."

"even if you say that, i'm not leaving papyrus on his own." Sans responded deftly.

"I was just gonna say." Undyne sneered. "You two would only slow me down anyway, but just so we're on the same page... Papyrus, you've got your cellphone on you, right?"

"BUT OF COURSE!"

"Good, because you BETTER pick up if I call you!!" She said, holding up her phone briefly, before stowing it away. "Likewise, if you call me, I'll be sure to pick up. Since I know Waterfall the best, I'll be wherever you need me in a flash."

"uh, likewise." Sans closed an eye. "i've got a couple of shortcuts."

"AND A BUNCH OF SKELETON FRIENDS! THAT SHOOT LASERS!!" Papyrus supplied helpfully.

"...???" Undyne narrowed her eye suspiciously, partly wanting to ask what Papyrus was talking about. Sans fidgeted awkwardly, but ultimately, Undyne shrugged off Papyrus's claim as his usual nonsense. "Anyway.  I'll be heading West to cover the places I didn't check during the evacuation, so you guys can take a look over East. If anything comes up and you want to meet up to report, we'll meet at old man Gerson's if I can't find you guys for some reason. GOT IT?!"

"YES, UNDYNE!!"

"yeah, no problem."

 "SPLIT UP!" She yelled, as she tromped off.

 

* * *

 

Frisk didn't know how they had ended up here. As they clutched their arm, they eventually came to a dock... where a lone figure stood, looking out into the darkness. At some point, the plant-life within the area became scarce. The area was devoid of sound. Devoid of life, really.

As Frisk approached, he recognized the figure. It was the Monster Kid, but something was off.

It was as if someone had drained them of their color; they were completely ashen, gray and white in color as opposed to the bright yellow Frisk remembered them to be. The facsimile stared off into the abyss quietly.

As Frisk took a step onto the dock, they began to speak.

"... Have you ever thought about a world where everything is exactly the same... except you don't exist?"

Frisk flinched.

"Everything functions perfectly without you..."

The Monster Kid's shoulders shook with silent mirth.

"Ha, ha..." They rattled, monotone and listless. "The thought terrifies me."

Unnerved, Frisk took a step back.

"... But, it's very. _Very._ Interesting."

The Monster Kid turned around, eyes empty and white. Its steps were haggard and shaky, as if it were a marionette. It stopped just a breath away from Frisk, and craned its neck upward-- staring at them, into their very soul. Frisk held their breath, as the shadows seemingly drew closer, encroaching as a pair of hands came from behind them.

The Monster Kid tilted its head, just as the hands grasped Frisk from behind, covering their mouth to hold the scream they would have let out.

Something screamed for them, as the Monster Kid smiled blankly.

"What do you two think?"

 


	13. The Greatest Invention Known to Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something short in the meantime...

Undyne had only ran a few paces away from where she'd met with Papyrus and Sans, only to find  _this_ anomaly. At first, she had run past it without so much of a second thought, but just before she left the passageway, she froze in place. Her heavy armor clanked as she turned on her heel. Her eye narrowed as she stared at the innocuous grey door situated deadset in the middle of the hall.

"What the heck?" She said aloud. Undyne had never recalled a door being here, up until today. Shouldn't she have been in the room with the crystallized cheese?

Today was really strange. It was one thing after another. She'd met the human with the orange soul. Her house burned down. That same human  _died_ after. That human, who had pointed a loaf of bread at her and demanded that she accept her challenge... in baking. Undyne hated baking. Cooking spaghetti among other things was one thing, but baking was just redundant and boring. The wait was unbearable and irritating to her, and as such, baking never appealed to the Head of the Royal Guard. However, she didn't refuse. Who was she to refuse a challenge?

Papyrus spent a good while declaring rules and the like for a "Masterchef" competition-- whatever that meant. She thought it was typical of him to attempt to get everyone to play nice, but then realized he wanted to join the competition too. it didn't matter to her in the long run. As Papyrus's cooking instructor, however, she couldn't afford to lose to him, or to a kid that had so brazenly demanded a match.

Which is why, during the challenge, she settled for making toast.

Instant and easy.

However, as opposed to toasting something for two minutes, that was way too long of a time frame. Even for toast.

To beat the human, she would need to outclass them in every aspect. This included speed and passion.

Naturally, cooking a piece of toast at her oven's highest temperature setting for one second would do the trick.

And now, she was homeless. 

She felt a smile form on her face, but frowned a moment later. Undyne found it strange that something that had happened just hours ago felt like such a long time.

In a certain regard, she'd only known that person for such a short amount of time. She didn't really think of them as a "friend", like Papyrus would have hoped for. Given enough time, maybe she would have thought of them as such-- disregarding the fact she meant to kill them initially, but... But there would never be time for that now.

She raised her head.

Right now... the door. Aside from the fact it blatantly stood out from Waterfall's caverns, it looked so plain that it could have been easily overlooked by someone who wasn't paying attention. If it was part of a puzzle, it definitely wasn't one she installed.

She stared at it with a suspicious expression, before prodding it with her spear.

Nothing happened.

In a moment of deliberation, she contemplated calling Papyrus and Sans; part of her felt like it would be too soon to rely on them-- that she would be caving and essentially backing out like a coward, but she reasoned to herself that if Sans had asked about the door, it felt only right to tell him about it. Yeah. Not that she was afraid or anything.

She reached out to turn the doorknob. It didn't budge, even when she pushed the door forward to no avail. She did so passionately, but as she shook the the door and pulled the knob to no avail, she took her hand away and stared.

Undyne tsked. "Locked?"

She debated about ripping the door off its hinges or throwing spears at it until it gave way. She attempted to do the first, but to no avail. She placed her foot on the wall and began pulling, tugging in an attempt to pry the door open, but it didn't budge in the slightest. After launching a numerous amount of spears into the door, including the walls around it, her eye began involuntarily twitching when she tried kicking it again, and it stayed shut.

She finally dialed Papyrus's number.

After the first ring and no response, she glowered at her phone as she pulled away from the receiver. Then came the second ring. Papyrus picked up before it ended.

[HELLO??? THAT WAS FAST! IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN TEN MINUTES!] The voice on the receiver spoke. [DO YOU NEED THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S HELP, UNDYNE??]

"Hey, Papyrus! Put your brother on the phone." She said. After a bit of shuffling, she grunted as Sans's voice came out of the receiver.

['sup undyne.]

"I found that Grey Door."

[oh. well then.]

"Funny story, since I've never even seen this door until now." She went on, as she kicked the door. "Is this another one of your stupid pranks?"

[nah. see, uh, it's the first time i've ever heard of a door like that being, y'know, here.] Despite not being able to see Sans, Undyne got the distinctive feeling he was looking aside. [so, since you called us, do you want us to go where you are, or--]

"Yeah. You might as well, since the kid might have gone through the door. This is assuming you didn't seem them at all while getting your butts over to Gerson's."

[that's pretty much the case.]

"Great. So get over here!"

[why the rush? can't open it?]

"... It's a  _very_ determined door."

 "i see that."

"SANS?" Undyne yelled, turning around. As she turned, Sans stepped out from the southern wall, as if he were there the entire time, just as he hung up Papyrus's cellphone. Papyrus was also nearby, dizzy and mumbling something incoherent. "How the hell did you get here so fast without me noticing?!" Undyne demanded.

"shortcut." He said, looking to the side. Undyne shook her head disapprovingly, as the skeleton took a step towards the door. He took the doorknob and twisted it, but like all the other times before, it stayed shut. He paused, before looking to Undyne with his usual grin. "yep. it's locked. i've done all I could."

"Sans." Undyne's eyes narrowed. Sans simply shrugged in response, and winked.

"well, undyne. in my experience with locked doors, did you ever think to knock?"

"Are you kidding me? If this is seriously one of your stupid jokes, I'll suplex you--"

Sans rapped his knuckle loudly against the door before she could finish.

"knock, knock."

A loud, static garbled through the door. Sans flinched for a moment, glancing to Undyne as if asking her silently if she knew what that was. Rather than answering, she materialized another spear, and held it as she eyed the door cautiously. After a couple of moments, the static died down, fizzling only briefly.

" _Who's there._ " A voice croaked out.

"adore."

" _ADORE who?_ "

"adore is between us." Sans winked. "mind letting us in?"

There was a click.

Instantaneously, Papyrus let out a groan from the background. Undyne too, felt her eye twitch as she stared at Sans with a dumbfounded expression.

"OH MY GOD, SANS."


	14. The Rabbit Hole

Undyne opened the grey door with such a force that it would have been ripped off of its hinges, had it been any other door. Sans and Papyrus merely watched as the door slammed against the cavern wall, swinging back with a creak as she pointed a spear at the being that presumably opened the door for them.

However, there was nothing there.

Perplexed, she lowered the spear with a scathing expression, as Papyrus came from behind and stared into the black void that now awaited them. It was boundless and a complete pitch black.

"I FEEL THIS IS VERY STRANGE." Papyrus commented.

"You're telling me." Undyne mumbled in response. She examined the void beyond the door tentatively with her spear, before reaching past the doorframe. Nothing happened. Sans stood thoughtfully, staring at the void beyond.

"looks like that's some uncharted territory we'll be going into." He said. "dunno if i'll have any shortcuts back if we walk through this door. so, the real question is, is chasing after the kid really worth it? just asking."

 "I don't like that tone, Sans. I'm not letting that little murderer go unchecked." Undyne glared, as she strode through the door. Papyrus immediately darted after her, and in turn, Sans trailed after his brother.

In the instant they passed through the door, there was a change of scenery; literally. Before them, there was a long pathway from the marsh-- however, the scene itself seemed to flicker from existence and Undyne trekked forward. Bit by bit, the space surrounding them lifted away and disappeared into dust, leaving nothing but darkness around them. Trails of red poured seemingly from a space above them, with no discernable source despite the trickle.

Sans turned on his heel-- the door behind them had vanished into nothingness, too.

"What the HELL is this." Undyne breathed.

"welp. ... if there's a hell, this might be it." Sans commented nonchalantly. 

"You're pretty casual about this." Undyne said with an offhanded expression.

"it's best not to think too hard about where we are, honestly." The shorter skeleton placed his hands in his pockets. "so. do we keep going until we find the kid?"

 "I AM PRETTY SURE THAT IS THE ONLY COURSE OF ACTION." Papyrus nodded. He looked onward towards the darkness, grasping his scarf for security.

Bravely, he took the first step. 

The three of them walked along the floating red streams aimlessly; here, there was a complete lack of direction. It was difficult to tell if they were moving at all, and on occasion, Undyne and Papyrus would come into contact with invisible walls. It was a messy affair until the scenery changed, once again. Stones glittered as they found themselves in a cavern seemingly belonging to that of waterfall. There was a crystal variant that Sans hadn't seen before, but that was really an aside point. In the middle of the room, was a grey figure, with their lower half seemingly melted into the floor.

As they approached, it raised its head, much like a doll. Its eyes seemed as if they were bulging from its sockets, and made no other motion-- likely, it couldn't. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if its very body was melting into the floor.

"HELLO?"

"Hello. How did you get here?" It asked, with a surprisingly pleasant, if not monotone voice. "Did you fall down too?"

"NO, NONE OF US HAVE FALLEN DOWN." Papyrus responded conversationally. "OR ANYWHERE, ACTUALLY."

"That's a relief. I fell some time ago. Because I couldn't move, my body fused to the floor." It paused when Papyrus stared at it with concern. "It's not too bad. But it's dreadfully dull. Being stuck in the same place. It feels like I've been here forever, but I've had all this time to think to myself. So, because of that, I feel like I could tell you a passing story I heard of a long time ago, that I've been dying to tell someone else."

"We're kind of in the middle of something." Undyne piped up, as she looked over to the side. 

"I know. But it'll be quick." The monster nodded. "Do you know about Core?"

"Of course I do." The Captain said with an uninterested look. "Everyone does, considering it's the thing that gives the Underground energy. I couldn't tell you how it works if you asked, though."

"That's fine. But did you know this?" The monster said with a blank expression. "They say someone fell into it a long time ago."

"welp." Sans said loudly, and a little bit too quickly. "i've had enough of listening." 

"Maybe you, but I want to hear about this." Undyne shook her head, before directing her attention back to that monster. "That's crazy talk. How could something manage to fall into the Core? Don't you think a story like that would be more well-known?"

"Those are really good questions, but your guess is as good as mine. But rumor has it that it was the old Roy--"

"Okay, we've _really_ heard enough." The shorter interrupted again. Sans's tone had changed, Papyrus noted. Beads of sweat had gathered on his skull, and by now, he was insistently tugging on Undyne's shoulder. "look, i, uh, love hearing about stories as much as the next guy, but..." He winked weakly. "don't you know it's rude to talk about someone who's listening?"

"What the hell does that mean!?"

"look, just forget it."

Before Undyne could respond, Sans took the initiative once again, and began pulling both Undyne and Papyrus into the next room, despite all and any protests the both of them could have made. As they moved, Undyne and Sans began to squabble about something the last of the trio couldn't hear so well. Papyrus's attention was still focused on the monster; as such, he glanced back. The monster from the corner of his eye making eye contact with him.

"It's okay. You can forget about me. Everyone forgot him, too."

The monster winked out of sight in an instant.

 

* * *

 

Now in the other room, Undyne grabbed Sans's hand and scraped it off of her with an annoyed expression. She glowered at him, not taking into account that the scenery had changed anew into a room with a staggering amount of unlit torches.

"Sans, what the hell is your problem?" She asked with a thick tone. "Ever since we got here, you've been acting weird!"

"can't be helped." he shrugged weakly. He began walking and investigating the torches with an amount of attentiveness that made it very blatant he didn't want to talk about the subject at hand.

Undyne would have none of it.

"Don't give me that defeatist bullshit. You seem to know a lot about what that little brat was rattling on about back during that confrontation. Hell, if I had to say, you demanding me to take Papyrus to safety while you attempted to deal with the kid on your own was uncharacteristically proactive. Especially for you." She said pointedly, with a frown. "So, what's your beef with the kid? Why the hell did you bail at the mention of someone falling into the Core? Or actually, why don't you just tell everyone what's actually going on?" 

"YES, YOU DISTRACTED ME BY SAYING YOU WERE A JUDGE. HOWEVER, WE ALL WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE TRUTH, SANS."

"Wait, what. He's the  **Judge**?" Undyne said blankly.

"YES. ALTHOUGH I ASSUMED HE JUDGES PEOPLE, WHICH ISN'T VERY NICE." Papyrus shook his head chidingly. 

"No, no--" Undyne shook her head. "Asgore told me about his Judge. I've never actually seen the person lurking in the final corridor because nowadays, no one visits Asgore while he's in the throne room. Aside from the locks and stuff, considering it's the last place before the barrier... Hell, I've never actually been there! Asgore's usually always inside that really normal-looking part of the castle." Undyne stopped, staring at Sans with a expression of bewilderment and confusion. "But that's YOU, Sans? You're his **JUDGE**?"

"uh. formalities aside, yeah." He said, looking to the side. "the pay's pretty good."

"WAIT, IF YOU HAVE A SUPER IMPORTANT JOB ALREADY... WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MANY OTHER JOBS THEN??"

"gotta kill time somehow."

"YOU SLEEP DURING YOUR OTHER JOBS INSTEAD OF WORKING AT THEM."

Sans shrugged.

"anyway. like undyne said. no one really comes around."

"Sans, stop dodging the question!" Undyne snapped, and she ran in front of him and glowered. "I realize I got off-track that time, but tell us what's going already."

Sans stopped briefly, and looked up. He wasn't smiling his usual grin; even then, his expression presently was more troubled than anything.

"SANS?" Papyrus put his hand on his brother's shoulder with a concerned expression.

"... fine. i'll tell you. you might wanna take notes or something, though." He said, as he sidestepped around Undyne, and continued to walk. Undyne and Papyrus shared a look, before following after him. His tone was oddly pensive. "our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting... until suddenly, everything ends. you realize what that means, right?" He said, glancing back to Undyne and Papyrus without stopping.

"SOMEWHAT. I WAS WONDERING ABOUT ALL THOSE SCIENCE-Y BOOKS OF YOURS."

"had to get acquainted with those theories for one of my other jobs, bro." Sans shrugged. "that aside, the kid-- frisk is a time traveler."

"Do you have any proof of that, Sans?" Undyne asked.

"aside from the fact they more or less admitted to being able to 'reset'... well. think of it this way, undyne." Sans paused. "how would you feel if i told you that before, all of us got to the surface, and the kid didn't have to die to do it?"

"You know that's impossible." Undyne said, looking off to the side briefly. "We need SEVEN human souls to break the barrier."

"yeah. but, with that said and all, why does this exist, then?" Sans turned around, digging through his coat pocket to hand Undyne something. She recognized it immediately as a rather well-kept photo, but she stared hard.

"... What the hell is this, Sans?" She muttered, swallowing with eyes strained. It might have looked normal to some, but... it was a group photo of everyone she knew, standing together, along with the inclusion of apparently _another_ boss monster that wasn't Asgore. It was unsettling for her to look at in the regard that Frisk stood right at the middle, with a smile as they looked at the camera. Not that she was a stickler for most details, but there was something entirely off about the way...  _everything_ in the photo was. She'd never seen surroundings like that in the underground. "Where was this photo taken? Hell, who the heck is that Asgore clone!?"

"your guess is as good as mine. i can't say i know that mystery person in the photo, but i could give a pretty good guess as to who that is." He said, eye lights flickering as he pocketed the photo. "but that's not the important part about all this." 

"What is? That you've probably worked with Alphys before at some point? Considering all the nerd talk."

"... nah." Sans said, looking away. "I was the old man's assistant."

"What old man?" Undyne asked.

"the royal scientist before alphys." He responded with an uncomfortable expression.

"Yes, but **who**? What's his name?" Undyne urged, with an almost demanding tone. "You say there was a Royal Scientist before Alphys, but I frankly don't remember anyone like that!"

"ha. yeah."

Papyrus stared at his brother's back as he felt a twinge in his ribcage. He felt as if he should have known what Sans was talking about, but... there was a rather uncomfortable gap in what he was feeling, to what he could understand. He gripped his muffler, and subsequently the orange soul nestled inside it-- the thing whispering him to be brave, as Sans began to speak again.

"... i'd say, but..." He glanced back at Undyne, before resting his gaze at Papyrus, stopping as he did so. Sweat beaded down his skull, as his grin looked rather panicked. "i'd rather not."

Undyne looked baffled, and shook her head with an annoyed expression before also turning to look at Papyrus, due to the fact his brother seemed to look at him so intently. The taller of the two stood awkwardly, before reaching out towards his brother.

 "SANS?"

The shorter skeleton looked away, and resumed walking.

"SANS, TALK TO ME."

"... don't... worry about it pap. yeah. anyway, as I was saying... frisk. that kid." Sans sighed. His voice took on a degree of exhaustion that Papyrus hadn't expected. Sans usually lazed about, but the tone of his voice was much more... telling. He knew that his brother kept secrets from him to protect him; to some degree, Papyrus had known that about Sans from the very start. Seeing his brother dismiss him now hurt him a lot more than Papyrus expected, even if he knew that Sans didn't mean to. "regardless of what you say, undyne, killing the kid isn't the solution."

"You'd spare that kid after seeing them kill another human unprovoked?" Undyne growled, outrage thinly veiled. Sans shook his head plainly.

"you can believe me or not when i say this but killing the kid'll just give them a chance to reset." He paused when Undyne scoffed at him; in response, Sans chuckled mirthlessly. His smile had a weariness and hopelessness Papyrus wished that his brother didn't have. "yeah, that reaction tells me you don't believe me. but really. i've tried. i honestly can't tell you a number. everything seems to blur after a certain point, and lemme tell you. the nightmares? not worth knowing."

"WHAT NIGHTMARES, SANS?" Papyrus asked, hoping partially that Sans would at least answer that much. At his brother's lack of a response, he cleared his throat, and asked a different question. "WHAT IS RESETTING ANYWAY?"

"... as the name implies, pap. imagine all the progress we've made getting here. now imagine all of it goes back to square one, and we're back where we started two to three days ago. alternatively, if the kid dies and a 'reset' doesn't happen, they'll just go back to an event or something and manipulate things because of the ungodly amount of Determination running through them." Sans sighed tiredly. "... and from there, it's anyone's guess as to what kind of "game" the kid wants to play, and who's going to die because of it. killing the kid is out of the question." 

"You know Sans, you're talking about all of this calmly, but I still get the feeling you're keeping all of this from us." Undyne folded her arms. "For starters, if everything is really "reset" back to square one, how are you still aware of what that punk can do?"

"i'm a judge for a reason, undyne. even if the memories aren't there, i've always been pretty good at reading other people and piecing things together."

"AND APPARENTLY, YOU ALSO HAVE NIGHTMARES WHICH YOU REFUSE TO TELL ME ABOUT."

It was at this, Sans turned around properly.

He looked on with a stern expression, hands still in his pockets.

"papyrus, don't take it personally."

"IT'S TOO LATE. I'M ALREADY OFFENDED AND HURT BY YOUR LACK OF TRUST AND FAITH IN ME." Papyrus stomped his foot, and stopped. "DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT KEEPING THINGS FROM ME WILL MAKE THINGS ANY BETTER? I MAY NOT BE A PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD OR THE KING'S JUDGE LIKE YOU ARE, BUT MY TITLE IS BETTER THAN ALL OF THOSE. EVEN BETTER THAN THE FACT I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS. I AM YOUR BROTHER AND I DESERVE TO KNOW THESE THINGS BECAUSE OF IT."

"papyrus, you know I--" Sans stammered. "i-- you don't have to worry about me. you know i can take care of myself."

"YOU CAN'T EVEN LOOK AFTER YOUR PET ROCK, SANS." Papyrus shouted pointedly. "YOU LEAVE MESSES EVERYWHERE YOU GO AND NEVER CLEAN THEM UP, BOTH LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY. DO YOU THINK I HAVEN'T NOTICED? YOU WEREN'T SUCH A LAZYBONES BEFORE. I REMEMBER VERY VIVIDLY WHEN I WAS YOUNGER YOU USED TO **TRY**. BUT ONE DAY, YOU CAME HOME, AND YOU STOPPED. YOU NEVER TRIED ANYMORE. YOU NEVER LEFT YOUR ROOM OR THE HOUSE. AND WHEN YOU DID, I COULD NEVER FIND YOU--"

"Guys, is this REALLY the time--" Undyne tried to cut in, but Sans interrupted.

"look, i'm not doing this because i want to, i'm doing it because i know you can't understand how it feels!"

"I DON'T THINK **YOU** UNDERSTAND HOW IT FEELS!" The taller yelled, tears leaking from his eye sockets. At some point during this argument, Papyrus's perpetual smile fell away, as his shoulders shook. He quivered where he stood, shaking like a leaf would in the wind. "KNOWING THAT WHATEVER I DID, I COULD NEVER GET YOU TO TELL ME WHAT WAS ON YOUR MIND. KNOWING THAT YOU WOULD BRUSH ME OFF WITH A HORRIBLE PUN BECAUSE YOU WOULD RATHER LAUGH IT OFF AND RUN AWAY THAN TELL ME THE TRUTH! YOU AREN'T BEING BRAVE BY TAKING THIS UPON YOURSELF, SANS. YOU'RE BEING A COWARD. BUT-- EVEN I MUST ADMIT... I WAS AFRAID, TOO."

Sans stared.

"I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO." Papyrus shook his head. "I JUST WANTED YOU TO BE HAPPY AGAIN. I DECIDED I WOULD JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD IN HOPES THAT MAYBE, MAYBE THAT MY SUCCESS WOULD INSPIRE YOU TO TRY AGAIN. THAT MAYBE YOU WOULD BE PROUD OF ME? LIKE HOW I WAS PROUD OF YOU."

Sans looked as if he was going to say something, and faltered at the sight of Papyrus's tears. It was an odd sight to see the former of the two shrink down, as if he were trying to make himself as small as possible. His breath shuddered briefly; Sans stepped forward, reaching up to wipe away his brother's tears.

"I'm sorry, Papyrus." Sans said, as he blinked back his own tears. "... You really do remind of him."

"SANS, I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT."

Sans's expression fell, right then and there.

"... His name was W.D. Gaster. At least, that's the name he put on paper for all his published work as the Royal Scientist." Sans sighed, as he took a moment to rub his eyes. He took a deep breath, cracking a small, but genuine smile as he recalled something fondly. However, the painfulness of that smile wasn't lost to Papyrus; once again, he felt an ache in his chest, as Sans said the following words.

"You and me, though?" His brother said quietly, with his head bowed. "We called him 'Dad'."

 

 


	15. Topology of the Damned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is a coffee cup like a donut?

Frisk was very still.

They stirred as a ringing in their ears persisted.

When they opened their eyes, everything was blurred white and black.

As they focused, they realized that something was directly in front of them-- subsequently, they scooted back.

They glanced around.

Something didn't feel right; they didn't remember how they got here.

... Wherever "here" was.

"Ah. Yes. HELLO." Something... was talking. The words were barely discernible to Frisk, but they could understand them all the same. As they opened their eyes, they rested their gaze on a strange figure shrouded in black-- almost as if it were melting into the darkness of its surroundings. Its face, Frisk assumed, looked like a cracked porcelain mask with very simple features. "You finally AWAKEN."

"Who are you?" Frisk demanded.

The mask tilted its head, as disjointed garble escaped them.

"It matters not. I suppose. A. Being like YOU. Could never. Ever. Understand how this... FEELS."

Frisk stared. The figure bubbled up, seemingly motioning to the emptiness around them.

"Being trapped. HERE." It said. "Knowing. That everything I've done. Ultimately. Meant nothing. That people's lives. Continue. Whether I am there. Or not." Its form rippled, as static seemed to fray at its edges-- as its very being. "But surely. You must UNDERSTAND. Even a little."

"No, I don't."

It tilted its head again.

"Is that so. I fail to see. Why else. Would you continue? You take. And destroy. The HAPPINESS of others." The face of that monster chipped, becoming something decidedly more... skeletal in nature. Something more solid, as it went on-- as if it were gathering bits and pieces of itself from the darkness that surrounded them both. "In my notes. I have found. That YOU. Keep everyone trapped. Down HERE. Underground. When they are ready. To move forward. To move on. To live on the surface. Which monsters could only dream of."

"Where are you going with this?" Frisk asked. 

It stared, and tilted its head.

"You gave them HOPE. You made their DREAMS come true. Even I. From here. As I watched. I believed in your capacity to do good. And yet..." It rose to its full height. The shroud covering it seemed as if it were covering a lab coat, as the perpetual smile became something more sinister. Malevolent. "You took it all away from them. I saw this. Over. Repeating. Endlessly. And so, I wonder: what was it? Answer. If you please."

Frisk tensed, as the figure loomed closer, and rose to its full stature. With their HP this low... it had been a while since they last saved, too. If they died, they would just return to that point, but Frisk realized that if this being wanted them dead, they would have killed them already.

It simply glowered at their silence, and awaited their answer.

"Do you think you know me?" Frisk asked plainly.

The being stared.

"I was merely being polite. However. Because you will not answer. I will say it for you." Its tone became gentle, as tears seemed to escape its eyes sockets. They glowed just barely, and vanished the moment they dripped away from its face. "This world. Ephemeral as it is. By comparison, the time spent here is just an iota the grand scheme of things. It is beautiful because it continues. Onward, ever on and on."

"However. You are an obstruction. Time no longer marches forward. Not with you. The anomaly. You and I are not so different. I am trapped. Here, away from the world. And you? You have fallen. By comparison to myself-- in more ways than just one. By contrast? You choose to keep yourself trapped. Playing GOD by devising such scenarios." It leaned dangerously close to Frisk. "Could it be, you fear that the world will move on without you? That things will no longer be under your control when you leave the Underground?"

Frisk immediately reacted by throwing a weak punch-- the skeleton simply vanished, before reappearing to Frisk's right, albeit with a spooked expression.

"Ah. Did I hit a nerve?"

Frisk darted forward again, but only grasped at darkness.

The figure seemingly derezzed for a moment, its very being flickering before it sank back into a malformed puddle.

"I just want things to be the way they were before." Frisk uttered, shaking with their fists clenched. 

"Would that have truly made you happy?" The skeleton tilted its head. "I am no folklorist, but even I am familiar with the legends of Ebott. Whereas where everyone here is ready to live, you are utterly prepared to die. You always were. And so, your SOUL-- your DETERMINATION awoke a demon because you were initially only compatible. As your spiel of Characteristics so plainly stated. I digress, however. At this point, you are no different from the demon you sold your soul to. That's why you cannot stop."

"It's not fair." Frisk outbursted. "I just wanted to go back, and have everything be like the first time!"

"How utterly egotistical of you." It said plainly. "You live in a world that I could only lament in having lost my place in. A place where none remember me and I am forced to watch the world continue on, knowing my existence was pointless. The Underground... This is a place where everyone will remember you for the rest of their lives, be it long, or unfortunately short. And I have watched. I have seen you play god with the lives of those around you. So in hindsight, no... I don't believe you could ever understand how this feels." Its shoulders shook, as if it were laughing. "Don't play innocent. It is unbecoming. The world ended before--"

"And I brought it back!"

"To what end?" He asked. "I suppose, that is the other reason for your resets. For if you complete your 'game', you become the devil incarnate. By resetting before that point, you remain 'yourself', albeit there isn't much of you left, no?"

Frisk lunged again.

The monster sank into the floor again, reappearing a couple feet away.

"At some point along the line, you choose to save the lives you touched before. You attempt to emulate 'heroism' despite the fact you are tainted. In spite of the fact you've destroyed everyone before."

"I only wanted to know what would happen."

"And now, the damage cannot be undone." The skeleton said plainly, as it reformed into a vaguely humanoid figure. "Despite your resets, I remained. Because I am here. Unfortunate as it is. It is from here, I can observe you." The skeletal man murmured. In an instant, a multitude of white hands materialized. They all grasped Frisk's body, dragging them and pinning them to the ground. The monster plunged his hand into Frisk's chest, drawing out the glowing red soul with an orange magic. Frisk let out a gasp, but didn't scream as they eyed the manifestation of their very being held within the monster's hands. "In this isolation, I admit. It's painful. At least, in regards to watching your family be murdered, time, and TIME AGAIN."

"... Who ARE you?" Frisk demanded.

"You need not know my name."

"Do you know Sans and Papyrus?"

 The skeleton shrank back briefly, as tears began to fall from its eye sockets, shuddering sadly.

"One remembers. The other does not. How it pains me to see them suffer so." He lamented. "Which is why, I choose to act. I have waited for this chance. So thus, you only need to know the conclusion of my findings, and how I hypothesize this "Undertale" will end. Do you wish to hear it?" He asked, eyeing the sickly red heart in his hand. His tears continued to fall. "I have the solution to their sadness."

He brought his free hand to the other end, as if he threatened to tear the soul into two-- but remained still for a moment, marveling the soul with thinly veiled disgust.

"As mentioned before. I believed in you a long time ago. I watched. I saw. The Good. And the Bad. Each Reset." He murmured. "I am no judge, but I am at heart a scientist. And in my findings and recorded notes, in this iteration, there was a factor that appeared that did not persist from other timelines-- so allow me to propose this idea."

The skeleton smiled peacefully, as he put his hands together. "Papyrus has the human's soul. They will use it and go to the surface at the behest of King Asgore, but they will not wage war against humanity at Papyrus's request. The King will be persuaded. Everyone will remain free. Perhaps not as happy as your 'Golden Ending', but it will do. Life will go on. And you? You will stay here with me."

Frisk stared.

Their head bowed briefly, as their shoulders shook with silent mirth.

" **I don't understand it. It's always skeletons that try to get in my way.** "

Their eyes glinted red as they listed their arm with such an overwhelming determination, the floating hands keeping them pinned faded to nothingness. Immediately, the scientist released the heart from his grasp, backing away as it began to pulsate and spasm wildly. The red soul, which at one point had been a bright cherry red in color was now rust red like blood.

Frisk stood up.

They raised their head.

" **You can't keep me here.** "

"But I CAN." His lab coat fluttered, as orange and blue lights flooded and manifested in its right and left sockets respectively. "And I WILL."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, Gaster finally appears.
> 
> I couldn't figure out how to do a Creative Work style. In general, that's why the font brothers have been 'normal' as far as things go, and why Gaster's spiels aren't walls of Wing Dings. I hope you'll forgive me for that. Thank you as always for reading.


	16. Sans Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to meet that "fish" in the milky way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a couple of mistakes in the previous chapters; namely, 1 and 14. I revised them so the following story would make a bit more sense.
> 
> \- Alphys interning was removed at several parts.
> 
> Everything is still the same otherwise. Have fun!
> 
> Another note is, sorry if things aren't necessarily cohesive; it's been a while since I've written anything for Undertale, so my original idea for this might have been altered some. I'll revise it later when I remember.

There was a quake in the void Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne had wandered into. Sans held onto Papyrus, who'd fallen to his knees some time ago during his heartful cry. Undyne, in turn, looked warily as their surroundings, once again, became mercurial and melted away into darkness. When the shaking stopped, Papyrus lifted his head. It was an odd sight seeing the taller skeleton be shielded by the shorter one, but in any case, Papyrus took comfort in his older brother's actions.

"you okay, pap?" Sans asked quietly, as he pulled away.

"YES." As far as things went, he felt he was. He nodded assuringly towards the shorter. "I AM FINE, SANS. AND YOU, UNDYNE?" 

"Still in one piece. But a better question to ask would be, 'what was that?'" Undyne questioned, a frown on her face as she stared into the abyss for answers. "An earthquake?"

"we might be underground and all, but i don't think it's that." Sans shook his head, with a contemplative expression. "in general, this place? i have no idea what this is, or where we even are. but if I had to say anything, it's clearly unstable."

"Do you have some kind of theory in that thick skull of yours?" Undyne quipped. "Now would be a pretty good time to share, along with any backstory you haven't told us about yet. I'm pretty sure Papyrus wants to know as much as the next guy."

"... yeah. well, first things first. this place? 's probably a rift or something in the space-time continuum. as we've seen... well, things aren't really normal at this point, you get me?" Sans sighed, as he helped Papyrus to his feet. "second of all. our dear old dad-- W.D. Gaster, or "Wing Dings Aster". back when you were still a little tyke and we lived in hotland, dad was the royal scientist. ingenious, really. his brilliance was uncomparable. I was still a kid myself at the time, but got official permission from the king to help out with dad's experiments. bet old asgore thought it was cute to have the family work together. we got a lot done, though. the gaster blasters? his craft. you gave him the idea through a drawing though, heh."

"SANS, WAIT. I HAVE MANY QUESTIONS. AND TO START WITH... WE LIVED IN HOTLAND?? AND I CAME UP WITH THE CONCEPT OF YOUR SPECIAL ATTACK?!" Papyrus asked, with a perplexed tone. "I HONESTLY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHEN THIS ALL HAPPENED, SANS."

"You were a babybones then. I can't blame you." Sans shrugged, as he began walking forward again. This time, he waited for Papyrus and Undyne to match his side. "nifty tricks aside, our dad? he had quite a reputation. considering he built the CORE... well, anyone would be impressed, wouldn't they?"

"... Sans, what. Do you have your history mixed up, or what?"

"PARDON, UNDYNE?"

Undyne folded her arms.

"The CORE was built more than 50 years ago." Undyne stared with a pointed tone. "I wasn't even born then, and no offense, but you and Papyrus don't exactly look like you're withering skeletons."

"funny story about that." Sans chuckled mirthlessly. 

"I'm not laughing. You better not be making this up." The captain of the Royal guard's stare was harsh. Sans shrugged it off.

"yeah, yeah. anyway." Sans bowed his head slightly. "one day, dad and i were at the lab, checking on the CORE. making sure the functions were working, making sure it didn't overheat... we ran a couple tests when dad found something. he called it "the anomaly", since we couldn't actually tell what it was. being the scientist he was, he decided to investigate it to see what else it was affecting, aside from the CORE. looking into it... well. you remember my spiel about timelines, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"good. at least I don't have to repeat myself. but anyway, as I was saying... we found that the anomaly was occurring in the future." Sans paused, as if trying to find his words. "Insane, right? I couldn't believe it either. Neither did dad, but as we looked deeper into it... well, we couldn't find anything. the timeline? it ceased completely after a certain point. Other times, it jumped around back to a certain point, but never close enough to where we were so we could figure it out. our 'present' being in the apparent past didn't really help." Sans continued. "After observing the anomaly over and over and recording our findings, dad came to the conclusion that whatever it was, it was causing significant unrest in the time space continuum."

"Great." Undyne nodded with her hands on his hip. "Now say that in a way everyone here can understand."

Sans sighed.

"imagine a line. or hell, a spaghetti pasta."

"OKAY." Papyrus nodded.

"now, that piece of pasta is our 'timeline'. except it keeps going indefinitely. now, if the starting point is... well, let's say somewhere in the middle, imagine further down the line that it loops around into itself. so if you were to go down that line, once you reached the loop, things would just keep repeating, and you wouldn't be able to go backwards." Sans looked to the side.

"Instead of going on indefinitely..." Undyne mused with a look of deliberation. "Meaning, the spaghetti is a circle?"

"... eh, more or less. but more specifically, the point of the analogy is that me and the old man found that in the future, time formed a loop, and constantly reverted into a certain point afterward. meaning? there wasn't ever an 'after'."

"SO... WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT THE SPAGHETTI NO LONGER HAD AN "ENDING" OR "BEGINNING"."

Sans blinked.

"yeah. nice job, bro."

Papyrus beamed.

"so. that said, the old man had an idea. not the  _greatest_ idea, but an idea nonetheless. since we were figuratively and literally out of the loop, while we were aware of its existence, we couldn't exactly do anything about it. our options were to wait for time to pass until we came to the entry point of the loop, and the other..." Sans said, looking to the side.

"Sans." Undyne suddenly said. "Are you going where I think you're going with this?"

"that depends. what do you think, Undyne?"

"Your talk of timelines and junk wouldn't make sense if we're gonna put into account resets. If everything's just brought back to the start of the loop, there's actually no way you should know about them unless you knew about them _before._ So Sans, are you saying... that you are Papyrus are TIME TRAVELERS?"

"you got me." Sans raised his hands, as if he were admitting defeat.

Undyne stared at him blankly, waiting for the punchline.

Sans gave her his usual grin instead.

"what? you called it."

"Sans, what the--"

The next moment, the ground began to shake again-- this time, he grabbed both Undyne and Papyrus, as to steady them and make sure that they didn't fall. Once the shaking subsided, he let go and continued. "well. at the very least... not intentionally. something... well." He sighed, and shook his head. "Happened."

Sans seemingly struggled to find his words, as the three of them spontaneously found themselves lost in a sea of grass. Sans trudged along all the same, past a girl trying to catch a bug. The monsters living in this rift were all monochromatic to an eerie degree, and seemed to be trapped in loops of their own. The girl trying to catch the bug would always catch and release the same one over and over again. Papyrus hung closer to his brother as another monster, one different from the girl, tore its eyes away from her own endless struggle and stared at him blankly.

It was unnerving.

"dad's idea was to use the CORE to power a telescope that could look through space. Not the space above the surface, but the space-time continuum itself. ingenious, right? course, we had to make a machine first. took a while to do and all that junk, but we based it off of a telescope he found at the dump. we got it to work by using the CORE as a power source. surprisingly, it worked. we couldn't pinpoint the cause though; we found something much more serious." 

"What happened then, Sans?" The captain of the Royal Guard asked, as the three finally came to the end of the sea-grass. Undyne paused, glancing back as she saw the greyed monsters trailing after them. Without bothering to inform the brothers, she simply ushered them through the next door, and slammed it shut. Her sense of time was completely shot, but if she knew one thing for certain, this place was giving her the creeps.

The clawing from the door behind them didn't help alleviate the sense of such.

"You really should quit it with the dramatic pauses." Undyne said with an annoyed expression. "We really don't have the time for it."

"you say that, but i don't even know if time is passing in here, undyne."

Sans, for the first time, gave both her and his brother a helpless look.

The grin on his face looked even more forced than usual.

"so. me and the old man... we took a look forward, right?" He said, as he stopped in front of another grey door to his right. He stared as he took the doorknob. "something looked back. instead of it being like a telescope we could use to peer through into the future... it ended up being a window. it was too much for the CORE to handle, which is probably why agore hired monsters to keep the CORE constantly cool from the ice in snowdin. but that's now, but what happened back then... heh. we were in shock from the CORE starting its meltdown. the good doctor did what he could to keep it contained with his magic, but me and Paps... you came from downstairs because you woke from the commotion. well, since that window was still outta control and because there was nothing to keep it in check, we got swallowed up. that godforsaken machine is still in our basement." Sans clenched his hand over the doorknob. "it was the last time you and I ever saw dad, paps."

"SANS..." Papyrus gaped. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ANY OF THIS?"

"You didn't remember. You don't even remember dad even now, do you?" Sans' voice became quiet, and suddenly hoarse as his shoulders hunched over. "No one remembered. Apparently, all that was left of the incident was an empty lab, and a CORE that needed to be constantly kept in check. Me? as it turns out, it took everything I had to keep you and myself from getting ripped apart from that trip. My HP is what I have to show for it." Sans shook his head. "And Dad? It was as if he vanished from the face of the Underground. Asgore remembered me after I came to him several years after; but he couldn't even recall what position I had. He decided to make me into his Judge, but even then... in my spare time, I tried to find out what happened to dad. You think I set up all those sentry stalls around Hotland to just sell hotdogs, Paps?"

Undyne and Papyrus stared.

"I'd heard rumors. About Grey Monsters, that looked as if they'd fallen down that were up and wandering around Hotland, near the CORE. Rumors about this place, rumors about the old man..." Sans looked down. "One of the guys I found was holding _a piece of him_. But every lead I found came to a dead end. I've never been able to find whatever hell this place is until now. I could never fix that machine either-- I thought, if I could go back to the time where he found the anomaly, I could stop all of this from happening. But I made a mistake. I lost track of time, and the resets started happening-- only this time, Paps and I were caught in the middle of it."

"WHY COULDN'T YOU TELL ME ANY OF THIS?" Papyrus repeated.

"how could I?" Sans asked hopelessly, as he opened the door. "You might be here for the kid, Undyne, but I'm here for..."

 

* * *

 

The battle raged on.

The void itself shook from the cataclysmic fight taking place.

The sheer amount of determination concentrated within Frisk's body was coming off in waves. It would be fatal for a monster to get within close proximity, Gaster noted. It was fascinating; he'd never seen a human do this before. He had read and heard tales from Asgore that in the past, only a select few humans could muster their latent magic, as destitute as it was. By comparison to a monster's own magic, the difference was plain as day. 

Gaster wondered if the mental stress had made an allowance for the human to tap into their soul's magic. If not that, he wondered if the demon the child sold their soul to had something to do with this.

Ah, but this was no time to muse.

The human would try their damndest to kill him, Gaster realized. However, with so much of him scattered, he supposed, the human  _could_ make an attempt on his life. They could try. Whether that would prove to be effective due to the fact so much of him was scattered through the space-time continuum was a theory that Gaster wasn't willing to test. This was the farthest he'd ever come in contact with another being-- it could only have been achieved through the discrepancies of this timeline. This iteration. That in itself was a terrible thing, though; time, he noted, was growing unstable. But it was also the miracle he needed. The chance he had to take to put an end of this madness. Even if it meant being trapped here forever with this human... that wouldn't be too bad, would it?

At least his sons wouldn't have to die again. Time would go on.

But, ah.

Ah, how terrible, how terrible.

The human would lunge at him, snarling like a enraged animal. A strange, red substance hand begun to drip from their hands. Was it blood, or Determination?

"I wonder. What difference does it make being here with me, than with those others?" Gaster posed. 

The human's Soul pulsated irregularly as he caged the human in another cell of bones, which too, melted away. He sent another Gaster Blaster out-- the human evaded, and began running through the darkness.

Dark, darker yet.

"Why do you run?" Gaster called, his form becoming unstable for the briefest of moments before he warped within that space. The human tried to grasp his figure, but came into contact with nothing. "You are not frightened. You feign such emotions, but the reality of it all is that you are as empty as the void we currently inhabit."

It then dawned on the good doctor, what the human was attempting to achieve.

"Ah."

The human was escaping.

They were still a good while away from the door; Gaster saw no point to chasing them, for they'd soon discover what conclusion he'd come to long ago.

Perhaps, it wasn't right to call the void 'endless'. It was a mishmash of unused data-- rather, places that no longer came to exist due to the tampering of the space-time continuum. Theoretically, it was as endless as it was limited. However, in his time spent in this place, those Grey Doors could only be opened by inhabitants that possessed color. Inhabitants that hadn't fallen. There were times, iterations where new doors had been opened by curious humans, points in time where he was able to bypass such limitations due to his paradoxical existence, but he could not escape completely. Such was the fate of all grey inhabitants-- they would all eventually return to their special hells.

The human had "fallen", by technicality, had they not?

In effect, the rules of the void were upon them.

Whether they were a demon or not, they still could not leave unless someone came.

And who would dare come for such a human?

"That is pointless to tr--"

There was a click.

No.

That had to be his imagination.

_Murmuring._

No, no, no, _no--_

_"You might be here for the kid, Undyne, but I'm here for..."_

Gaster violently froze as he heard the door creak.

That voice.

The doctor's composure cracked.

"There's no way-- there's no way--"

An inhuman smile appeared on the human's features as the door opened, revealing two skeletons-- one shorter, the other taller, and a fish monster wielding a spear.

**"PERFECT."**

 


End file.
